Return
by Noodlez4suppa
Summary: Kagome runs into her past after being throw from the Sengoku period and the well being sealed. She realizes how much she really missed them, even the ones that didn't make it. How will she fit into the new family dynamic with Sesshomaru as their leader? Will she be able to see him as her family, too? New and old dangers comes with returning to her pack.
1. Chapter 1

Yeah, I know. Two stories at once, I just might explode. Seriously though, this is just something to get my weird silly ideas out the way.

 **Watermelon Day**

 _Get a summer job they said. You'll get used to being a normal girl they said._

Kagome Higurashi stood in a tank top, low cut shorts, and apron with the words **Bistro Beauty** written across the front outside one of the growing bistro chains in her neighborhood.

The sun was high with no clouds for reprieve. A sliver of sweat crawled down Kagome's back slowly and she was seriously considering her life choices. But she would occasionally look back at her friends Ayumi who got her the job and all her anger would deflate. She was such a sucker for her friends.

"Try the best Watermelon water on this side of town!" she called.

The street was busy as the bistro was positioned in the middle of the shopping district. It was the end of August and the humidity was relentless. Despite that, teenagers and adults alike were getting the last few summer rays before school started back up next week.

Kagome's little stand had a few samples of the watermelon they were serving inside and a container of watermelon infused water with a spout. Kagome signaled Ayumi for more cups after a wave of kids left her stand nearly drinking all of it.

"How's it going out here?" Ayumi asked.

"Uh, not so bad. It's pretty hot. How long 'til we rotate?"

"Another 30 minutes" Ayumi said with a half glance at her phone for the time, "Sorry about this 'Gome. It won't be too long."

"Don't worry about Ayumi. I could use the tan since I didn't make it to the beach this summer".

Ayumi looked at her sympathetically.

"Hey, maybe after work we can go to that place you've been raving about."

"Oh yeah! That'd be great. If I don't melt out here." They both laughed. The boss called Ayumi back in and Kagome was left with the sun and crowd again.

Kagome was pouring a cup of watermelon water for a young girl when a familiar youki pricked at the edge of her dampened sense. She looked up and almost cried out.

The frame of the man – no, demon – in front of her as familiar yet unfamiliar. The modern clothes threw off the silhouette she was so use to. Without the armor and flowing sleeves, he could be confused for someone ordinary.

"Sess-sesshomaru!"

"Miko" he said plainly as if 500 years hadn't separate them. There was a whimsical smile on his face.

"Uh, what are you doing here?" she asked. _If he can be casual so can I. Not like we were friends or anything back then._

"I was hoping to try some of your watermelon water."

For a moment, she didn't know what to do with her hands as she fumbled with a cup and clumsily poured him some.

He grabbed the cup and their fingers grazed softly. Kagome found herself yearning for the familiarity. It wasn't until this moment that she felt like she wasn't alone here in the modern era. The ache that plagued her heart returned from the simple touch. It was strange. Sesshomauru wasn't even someone she considered a friend but she wanted to reach out to him. She wasn't sure if it was because she wanted to make sure he was real or…something else.

Sesshomaru slowly sipped the water. He hadn't expected her power to thrum so heavily in his presence. It was intoxicating to be so close to her with it rolling off of her in waves.

"Best in town," she managed between the ripple of emotion tearing through her.

"That it is. Thank you".

Kagome bit her lip nervously. Hadn't see rehearsed all the things she would say if she ran into Inuyasha here in her time. But that was Inuyasha and this was Sesshomauru. Still the half-brother did experience some of the same things she did during the battle with Naraku. Right?

Sesshomauru was saying something and holding a card out in front of her.

"….and if you have any questions or you need anything. Please don't hesitate."

Kagome reached for the card but avoided touching him this time. The card was smooth with raised ink.

"Thank you. Sesshomaru".

"Happy Watermelon Day, Kagome".

And he was gone with the crowd. The shinning silver of his hair disappearing around a corner and out of Kagome's life once again.


	2. Chapter 2

Not sure if I'm gonna make this one continuous thing.

 **Champagne Day**

Eri and Ayumi dragged Kagome to the front door of the restaurant. A high school friend of theirs had gotten engaged and they were invited to a private party at some fancy French restaurant that Kagome couldn't even pronounce.

"But I don't even know them," Kagome struggled against the girls who held her arms.

Eri growled, "You will not ruin my chances of finding a fiancée because you're anti-social".

"Eri, you really shouldn't say things like that. Why do you need to find a fiancée anyway?" Ayumi asked.

The girls walked through the door and was standing behind a couple about to be seated.

"If you must know, my parents are trying to marry me off to my cousin and I refuse to marry that lump headed squirt".

"Cousin?" Kagome and Ayumi asked simultaneously.

"Second cousin," she corrected.

A mildly attractive hostess greeted them. Eri let her know that they were there for the engagement dinner and they were escorted to a private room toward the back of the restaurant.

There was a live DJ and an open bar. Paper decorations of flowers and doves as center pieces.

"Open bar and a dance floor? Looks like we're gonna have to make sure Eri doesn't embarrass herself," Kagome teased.

"That was one time. Can we please let that go?" She asked as they were seated.

They had made it just in time to order and get their food before the toast. The toast was a sweet anecdote of the time the couple met: boy meets girl, girl hates boy, boy falls in love, girl falls in love, yada yada.

Kagome could only feel indifference for the couple. Not that she didn't believe _they_ believed they loved each other but love was a farce. It was marketed by hallmark cards and horrible chocolates and awful smelling roses. But champagne tasted good. This, she found out after a few glasses and she was on the dance floor with Ayumi while Eri was off scouting the eligible bachelors.

Kagome bumped into another guest and was ready to tell them off until she came face to face with a familiar red headed kid. Only he wasn't really a kid anymore.

"Kagome?"

"Shippo!" Kagome embraced him so tightly and quickly that he almost didn't have time to catch her.

He smelled like his fox fire and ginger, like Christmas day and fire pits. Like home. He held onto her tightly, unaware that his date was growing impatient behind him.

Kagome pulled away, "I can't believe it's you. You're so… so". She looked him over as a mother would do to her son coming home from college. He was still her Shippo. He had the same green eyes and bushy red hair pulled into a ponytail but longer. He was tall and lean yet masculine. She had missed so much of his life.

"Devilishly handsome?" His smile was wide and toothy. Not exactly the same but still endearing and mischievous.

"Uhm, old," she teased.

He rolled his eyes playfully as a small voice behind him called his name. "Give me a sec, 'Gome. I'll meet you at the bar."

Kagome was about to tailspin into a panic. She didn't want him to go. She just found him. "I promise," he said, "I'm not going anywhere."

She nodded and went to find Ayumi, who was now dancing with a guy. She couldn't help but wonder if she was holding her friends back. She gestured to the bar and Ayumi gave her a thumbs up.

After finding a couple of seats, Kagome scanned the dancefloor for the kitsune who she left behind. When he walked up she hugged him again. He sat and ordered a beer. Kagome shook her head when he offered to get her something. She wanted her head to be clear for this. She hoped she'd remember this in the morning.

They looked at each other for a moment and all the love and memories they shared flooded back. Her son. The one she would've taken with her if she could, if she had a choice.

"You're older than when you left. How long has it been for you?"

"Six years."

"I'm surprised."

"What do you mean?"

"I figured you'd come looking for us". He wasn't accusing but he wasn't not accusing.

"I didn't know there were any demons in my time. Even when InuYasha would come through the well, he didn't smell anything."

"Well, that's because of the Council," he took a swig of his drink.

"Council?" "Long story. I'm sorry. I – just….I _knew_ I smelled you on _him_. But he wouldn't tell me anything, so I tracked him for weeks but he never went to see you again. I think he knew. Boy, is he gonna flip".

"Sesshomaru?"

"Yeah. Oh, Kagome. It's been so long for us." He grabbed her hands and kissed them.

"Why wouldn't Sesshomaru tell you where to find me?"

"Well, he's still an ass. There's only so much 500 years can do."

Shippo could feel Kagome's anger rolling off of her. The purity he had been protected by many times now raised the hair on his arms.

"Please don't be mad at him. He's an ass but he's our Alpha and he has his reasons."

"Reasons? Who cares about his reasons? You're my family". Kagome held Shippou's face in her hands, "You're my son and I haven't seen you in so long." The tears stung her eyes and she had no way to stop them.

Shippo gave her a sad smile, "Look who you're talking to."

Kagome wiped her eyes, "Yeah, I know but at least you had everyone." She'd forgotten it had been much longer for them.

"I know."

Kagome dreaded asking the question but her curiosity got the better of her, "Is InuYasha with you guys?"

"That's a hard question to answer. Uhm, yes and no. He's always with us because of the girls but we lost him about a century ago. He got really sick during his new moon while in South America. It took him so fast Sesshomaru didn't even get there in time. I'm sorry."

"Oh. That big idiot would die on me." Kagome sniffled and felt her chest swelling into a knot. Even though they hadn't intended on a romantic relationship after Naraku, in case she did get stuck in her time, he was still her best friend and she missed him greatly.

"We lost Rin not too long after. We mated once I could prove to Sesshomaru I could protect her and got my fourth tail. She aged slowly but, eventually, she passed."

"I'm sorry." She placed her hand over his.

"I'm sorry, too."

They sat there in their own sadness. Knowing one was no greater than the other. It was the champagne that prevented Kagome from wanting to crawl in a ball and cry. It made her too exhausted to emote anymore for the night. Shippo took her home and put in his number in her phone for whenever she wanted to talk. Love was stupid.


	3. Chapter 3

_Anything in italics is Kagome's thoughts._ Thank you to everyone for following. Enjoy.

Skyscraper Appreciation Day

Kagome stood outside one of the tallest buildings she'd ever seen in downtown Tokyo. She held the business card in her hand as she watched all of the business men and women go in and out. She hadn't even considered wearing anything nice to see Sesshomaru. The plan was to go in, do some yelling, see what he had to say, and leave. She was regretting the denim shirt, her pun intended t-shirt that said, "Studying ancient symbols will lead you to rune", and ratty old gym sneakers.

All things considered, Sesshomaru seemed to have a good life but she couldn't help but wonder about his relationship with InuYasha. Were they able to bond before he died? Did he live a good life? Was he happy?

She walked through the glass doors and straight to the front desk. The young woman at the desk seemed surprised when she asked for Sesshomaru directly. She got on the phone and made a few calls. Kagome didn't see what the big deal was. How big was this place that she couldn't call him directly? She doubted there were any other "killing perfections" in the building with the same silver hair and cold, gold stare.

"Ms. Higurashi," the woman at the front desk called, "Mr. Umareka's assistant will be down to escort you momentarily."

 _Too busy snubbing people to come get me yourself?_

It only took a few minutes before a neatly groomed woman only a few years older than Kagome to come down and let her through security and towards the elevator bank. Mizaki was done up in a sleek high bun with not a hair out of place, a black A-line dress the fit her form like a second skin, and heels Kagome would die trying to walk in. Kagome smoothed her shirt and fraying denim skirt while the elevator took them up.

Without a word, she led Kagome out the elevator and into a private office near the top floor. Sunlight bathed the main reception area that had a few comfortable looking chairs and a desk, presumably Mizaki's. There was a door in the corner of the room that Mizaki opened for Kagome.

The office wasn't quite like Kagome expected. It looked more like a home office with pictures and ornaments adorning the walls. There was a lounging chair right when you walk in to the right that Kagome couldn't imagine Sesshomaru actually laying on. The far wall was all glass with an envious view of the city. To the left was a simple desk you might find in a home office. There was a laptop half open with a rolodex and a stack of pens next to it. Otherwise, the desk was clear. On the other side of the desk stood a chair and above it, three very familiar swords on the wall.

The sight of them made Kagome gasp. Tesseiga stood at the top of the rack in its battered and ratty sheath, with Tokijin and the sword Kagome saw grow from Sesshomaru along with a new hand under it.

"Miko," Sesshomaru's called. She found herself grounded back to reality in that moment. She was still in the present but for a moment the past was all she could see. All her plans crumbling in front of her. The last piece of her best friend hung on a wall behind Sesshomaru everyday like some kind of trophy.

"Is that all it is to you?" She asked, her voice breaking.

Sesshomaru looked at her confused. He followed her gaze to the wall where the swords of his father hung.

"Kagome, I—"

"No. That's all it was to you, some stupid quest for power. It wasn't enough that you got your own sword, you had to take his too?"

"I did not –"

"I bet you pried it from his dead fingers. That sword meant everything to him."

"I know…"

"Everything! It was the one thing he had of his father's. The one thing that meant more than anything to him."

"I know..."

"Then why is it there? Like….like some stuffed animal. Why isn't it with him?"

Sesshomaru was calm as he approached her. His voice soft and assuring, "He wanted it there. Hung it himself, actually."

"What?" Kagome asked weakly. She hadn't realized the tears running down her face were fresh and hot as Sesshomaru led her to one of the chairs in front of his desk.

He sat across from her. His body slumped, a posture she didn't recognize from the great Lord Sesshomaru.

"Times changed. We did not fight, anymore. We did not need these swords, anymore," he said looking at them longingly.

Kagome looked at him carefully. She was surprised he had said so many words, explained himself even.

"My brother," he began, "was stubborn. But he knew when it was time to retire it. Our place in the world was shrinking very quickly. Violence was not the answer. Humans reproduce too quickly." He smiled. A joke.

Stubborn sounded like him. "Was he happy?" She finally asked.

"I think. He lived a great life. Mated and had two girls. Travelled everywhere so that when we 'caught up' with you he'd have so much to tell you," he admitted.

Kagome smiled. She could believe that he'd want to one up her now that he had the advantage of time. "InuYasha? A father?" She couldn't help the laugh pouring out of her. The immature Hanyou she knew would never hold a baby.

"Yes. Better than our father." The golden eyes she looked into now wasn't her friend's but she could take comfort in knowing he was loved and he lived on. She wiped the wetness from her face and stood.

"Uhm, I'm sorry. This wasn't what I came here for."

Sesshomaru stood, a head taller than Kagome, "It is fine. I'm glad you came."

Kagome looked up at him but quickly looked away. She was ashamed of accusing him. But he hadn't gotten angry or upset. He calmly took her hand, showed compassion, and patience. Something she wasn't used so she walked toward the window, his grip releasing her instantly.

"You must love the view up here."

"It is acceptable." He stood next to her at the window looking across the horizon of gray buildings and blue sky.

"Have dinner with us." He made his best efforts to make it seem like a question. He awaited her wrath at his forwardness. Kagome looked confused. When her anger didn't come he continued, "Next week. We have it once a month, by the kitsune's insistence."

"Like a family dinner?"

He inclined his head.

"I'd like that."

 _Maybe this wasn't such a bad idea._


	4. Chapter 4

TV Dinner Day

Kagome wasn't sure what to expect when she arrived at Sesshomaru's apartment in the city. It was like a glass house with floor to ceiling windows in the living room and dining room. The second level was open to where you could look down into the living area from the what was probably the bedroom. The railing along the stairs was onyx-like material that was smooth and cold to the touch. Most of the walls had what looked to be original pieces of modern art.

The living room had plush, deep purple couches and ottomans that Kagome was interested in running her hands across. It seemed that Sesshomaru lived lavishly and wasn't afraid to indulge in the finer things.

She held onto her cheap wine sub-consciously as Sesshomaru hung up her coat in the closet around the corner. _At least I'm dressed nice this time._

She'd manage to beat the cobwebs out of a cotton, teal dress she had bought and never worn. The bottom flared out in pleats, similar to her old uniform. The top had a modest scoop neckline that complimented the tiny star necklace that hugged her throat. She opted to skip shaving and wore black tights and a decent pair of low heeled boots. She had felt dressed up until the car Sesshomaru sent had dropped her off outside his building.

"Shippo is running late, as always. But should be here soon. Let me"

Kagome reluctantly handed over the wine. Without the bottle to busy her hands she wasn't sure what to do with them.

Sesshomaru took a good look at the bottle, "Electic."

"We don't have to drink it."

"It is acceptable. I will pour some glasses, please sit. Dinner will be ready shortly."

Kagome nodded and stepped down a few steps into the living room. The Tokyo skyline was beautiful. The purple-pink splash on the horizon made the lights of the city shine brighter. It made her think of the stars of the feudal era under their camp.

Sesshomaru stood next to her by the window and offered her a glass of the dark wine she had bought. She accepted and took a small sip. It wasn't awful. _I'm sure he's used to much better wines._

"Have you been well?"

Kagome fumbled with her glass at the question. She wasn't sure if he meant since the last time they were like this or in general.

"Uh, ye-yeah. I'm in school. History major. Classes are...interesting."

"Would your area of focus be the infamous Sengoku period?"

"I wish. Not a lot was written down except religious text back then. There are only a few poems and manuscripts to research. With all the violence and death, people were less worried about writing and more worried about surviving. There is quite a bit of art. Not my specialty though."

"Mmm. Might be why we have been forgotten by some."

"You are hard to forget."

Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow, "Enlighten me."

"Well, you were very serious. You know, with you almost killing me and InuYasha."

"But I did not."

"Well, you almost did!" Kagome teased.

"I recall being very single-minded back then. Everything else was inconsequential."

"You're different now."

"I suppose. Tamed." There was playful rumble in his throat the same kind when Buyo wanted to be frisky and play.

"I don't know," she admitted, "I would never have imagined talking to you like this before though."

"I do not believe I had the vocabulary for such a conversation back then."

Kagome couldn't believe she was teasing Sesshomaru. The same daiyouki that would've taken her head off five hundred years ago if it wasn't for the sword in her hand. And he even teased his former self, made jokes even. She could imagine the playful banter between the brothers with _this_ Sesshomaru. That made her happy.

"What's for dinner?" Shippo closed the door behind him and smiled at the sight in front of him.

"Same as always."

"What's that?" Kagome asked.

"He didn't tell you? TV Dinner!"

Kagome quirked an eyebrow at the demon she saw as her son and then at Sesshomaru.

"Rin and InuYasha enjoyed them. So, we have it once a month when our schedules are willing."

Shippo hung his jacket up and set about talking up his work with Kagome at the table. Shippo had been many things in the past 500 years. He was a carpenter, royal guard, railroad worker, doctor, theif (which Kagome didn't approve of though he promised was a modern-day Robin Hood), painter but now he was apart of an organization that put Daiyoukai into protection when humans found out what they were.

"But what do you do with the humans?" Kagome took a bite of meatloaf that she wasn't convinced was TV dinner meatloaf.

Shippo opened his mouth as Sesshomauru cleared his throat.

"I don't think the Council would approve Shippo."

Shippo grinned and leaned forward toward Kagome, "I think he thinks _you_ won't approve."

"You don't kill them, do you?"

"Nah. Mostly bribes or we force them to move. Depends," Shippo assured with a mouthful.

"Shippo works hard to make the best decision for all parties. It is not as easy as he makes it seem."

"I wonder where you learned such humbling qualities, Shippo." Kagome definitely knew the difference between real mashed potatoes and lumpy TV dinner mashed potatoes. They didn't quite melt in your mouth like these.

"Well, not from InuYasha," he quipped.

Kagome giggled. She could get used to this.

"Hey, Sesshomaru," Kagome began, "Where'd you get these TV dinners? They're actually pretty good."

Kagome thought she saw a flash of concern across his face but he cooly responded, "At the market. They were having a special on them."

"oh, yea? And what brand are they?" She challenged taking a bite of meatloaf and savoring the gravy.

"Lean cuisine, if I recall correctly. Please excuse me," Sesshomaru left the table and disappeared into the kitchen.

"So, did you think about moving?"

Kagome groaned, "I did. It's just…Souta is growing up and the shrine needs help sometimes."

"They'll only be a bus ride away" He reminded.

"It's not just that...," she admitted. He could feel the nervous reiki emitting from her. Not the kind she had before the fight with Naraku. There was a rawness in this scent. It reminded him of the times when Rin was embarrassed in public when people thought he was her son.

"Are the dorms-uh, complexes this…extravagant?" Kagome gave Sesshomaru's home a once over.

"Nah. They're more modest. Sesshomaru has done a lot for himself and he offers the best for his pack. But he understands that not everyone is comfortable with having similar digs as him."

"So, he finances the complexes?"

"In a way."

"That makes it worse," she groaned.

"Huh?" Shippo's green eyes looked at the woman he considered his mother confused.

"Why would Sesshomaru finance me?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Shippo asked. "You were apart of the group. It was our pack. InuYasha didn't have a name for it back then but Sesshomaru taught him. Pack is like family but stronger for Daiyouki. It's not obligation, it's a purpose and instinct. It's in their blood, especially for Inu and Ookami."

The thought of being in debt to Sesshomaru gave her a headache.

"I can't impose on him like that."

"Then I'll pay for it."

"No!"

"Money isn't something we have to worry about Kagome so you shouldn't worry about it. That's apart of what pack means."

Kagome pushed around the food in her tray. "I'm happy you guys are comfortable but I'm fine, I promise."

Shippo knew better to push it. If there was anyone more stubborn then InuYasha, it was Kagome. After dinner, Shippo rushed off after placing a kiss on Kagome's cheeks and making her promise to reconsider the move. She returned to the kitchen to see Sesshomaru with his sleeves rolled up and washing dishes. She took a moment to look him over. His hair was considerably much shorter than the last time she was through the well. It reached the middle of his back, instead of to the back of his knees, and was pulled back into a low ponytail. His shoulders were broad and defined against the fabric of his shirt. His slacks lead down to his bare feet. It was a quaint sight to see a domestic looking Sesshomaru. Kagome placed herself next to him and began to dry the wet dishes with a towel. "I know your secrets."

Sesshomaru failed to miss a beat as he began to hand her the wet dishes, "I guess I was a fool to think I could fool you."

"Does Shippo really think it's real TV dinner?"

"If he does not, he has yet to confront me."

"I think it's sweet. You've done a good job with him."

"He had a good foundation."

"I'd like to join you guy for dinner every month, if you don't mind."

"I'm sure Shippo would like that."

"And what about you?"

"As long as you can keep my secret," even without his youkai features Sesshomaru managed to look doggish.

Kagome smiled and held up her hand, "Miko's honor."

 **Review if you think this is coming along okay!**


	5. Chapter 5

**I debated whether or not I should add this blast from Kagome's past. Thanks to my fiancée for convincing me of how he would add more layers to the different feelings Kagome has about being bombarded by her past. Enjoy!**

 **Wash A Car Day**

Kagome felt it was a good day to get dressed up in something she usually didn't wear. It was still warm out though it was getting close to Autumn. Ayumi invited Kagome to do a charity car wash on Saturday after work. They were gonna meet at the bottom of the shrine steps after getting cleaned up and get dressed at the high school.

Kagome's mother would be mortified if she saw her in the high cut shorts she'd made from an old pair of jeans and ripped top that showed her tummy. Kagome was proud of her legs. All that running in the feudal era gave her some nice definition.

"Wow, Kagome. I didn't know you were packing all of that under those sweats," Ayumi boasted.

Kagome blushed. "Growing up on a shrine has its perks," she simply said.

The school bathroom reminded Kagome of the times she actually made it to school. The clean linoleum and high fluorescent lights. Except she didn't have to worry about acne and InuYasha showing up. The thought sent a pang of pain through her chest. It's been happening a lot since she saw Sesshomaru at her job and Shippo a few weeks later. The dinner had made things more real.

"How are classes, Kagome?"

"Really good, actually. My professor has a lot of background in the periods I wanna focus on."

She couldn't admit to Ayumi her passion for history being because of her time in the feudal era so she didn't have to admit it to herself.

Ayumi went on about her classes and how her professors got hard-ons for the law.

It wasn't long until they were in the groove of washing and drying the cars that came through the high school parking lot that was hosting the charity. On the other side of the lot, other girls were serving lemonade and taking donations.

Kagome was scrubbing a particularly dirty spot on an old German car when a shadow casted over from behind her.

"I'd sure like to get behind those wheels and see how she drives."

Kagome swung her hand, loaded with a loofa and soap, and connected with a familiar, strong jaw.

"You hit just as hard as you did all that time ago," the man said between the soap suds.

Kagome could never mistake that wolfish grin. "Koga," she whispered.

"Are you okay, Kagome?" Ayumi had run over beside Kagome, eyeing Koga wearily.

"Yea, I'm fine. I know him."

"Know me? You more than _know_ me, Kagome."

Ayumi had an impish look on her face. "Introduce me, Kagome."

"Uh, Koga, this is Ayumi, my friend. Ayumi, this is Koga….a friend from a long time ago."

"That's an understatement, babe. Feels like 500 years since I last saw you."

"Nice to meet you, Koga." Ayumi giggled when he took her hand to kiss the top of it, "My pleasure."

Kagome rolled her eyes. "You have such an imagination," she said through her teeth as she grabbed Kouga and pulled him far enough away so that Ayumi wouldn't hear.

Once far enough way, she scolded him.

"What is wrong with you? You can't say things like that."

"Don't worry, babe. I ain't dumb. The Council would have my head if I said anything incriminating."

"You guys mention this Council and I don't get it. Is it like the demon police or something?"

"Yea. I suppose that's the simple way of putting it but it's a bit more than that."

"Someone needs to explain."

Kouga placed his interlocked fingers behind his head and leaned back, "Eh, I leave all that stuff to Sesshomaru. He's better at it and it's no fun."

Kagome grabbed his ear. "Oh, no you don't! I've had enough of that from Shippo."

"Ow! Please Kagome, I don't know as much as him and he's their Alpha. I really shouldn't be getting into his affairs. Pack politics."

"Then what are you doing here? How did you find me?"

"I heard through the grapevine you ran into that mutt face and then the fox. And it wasn't hard; I can smell your reiki from 10 blocks away. And that's kinda why I'm here."

"What do you mean?" Kagome released his ear and stood with her arms crossed.

"Well mikos as powerful as you are as rare as they come. It's like since you ran into him your power has been growing exponentially. That could attract some unwanted attention."

Kagome wrapped her arms around herself tighter. She felt more naked than anything right now. She shuddered at the thought, remembering the way demons in the feudal era attacked them for the Shikon No Tama. Now, she had no InuYasha to fend them off.

"But don't worry. I have my guys watching you until we can get you settled in one of the pack complexes for protection."

"Pack complex? Like a dorm?"

"Nah, you ain't gotta share bathrooms or nothin'. It's like apartments but better security. The wolf clan takes care of that." Koga's chest swelled with pride.

"I don't know, Koga. I can't afford something like that. I'm barely scraping by on what I got now living at home."

"Kagome," he grabbed her shoulders gently, "We take care of our own. It's not like it used to be back in the day. We don't fuss and fight over territory. Daiyouki aren't really multiplying like we use to and we're mixing with humans so pure bloods are becoming rare. You know, it was weird when Shippo explained where you came from all those years ago. You were like a dream, the jewel took you before any of us could say good-bye. We aren't gonna lose you again."

"You aren't just saying that because you want me to be your mate, are you?"

"Ayame mad me an honest man. But I'm sure we work something out."

Kagome rolled her eyes.

"But seriously, you still have a place in my clan. Ginta and Hakakku will be happy to see you. Family is all we have now."

Family sounded nice. But they didn't need her anymore. All the medicines and treats she brought to the feudal era from her world weren't special now. What could she add to the 'pack'?

"Why didn't Shippo ask me, or Sesshomaru?"

"With Shippo like a son to you, how could you ever accept his help. And I not sure Sesshomaru knows how to ask."

She couldn't argue with that yet, she couldn't bring herself to truly accept his offer, "Can you give me time?"

"Of course. My guys will always be watching in case something happens."

"Thank you, Koga". Kagome hugged him quickly before excusing herself to go back to Ayumi.

Koga, like everyone else, was older and more mature. She couldn't help but feel like she was still that teenage girl longing for adventure and friendship in the Sengoku era.

At this rate, Kagome was becoming overwhelmed by the faces of her past popping up. Not that she was ungrateful to have Shippo back in her life. But she didn't know how to explain this to her family and friends. Once upon a time she had kept her two different lives separate and with ease; keeping one on the other side of the well at all times. Now they were mixing together, becoming one. Was she ready to forfeit the semblance of order she'd created for her life to immerse herself back into her past? Could they fully accept her as pack after being away for so long?

She thought about the pack dinner and how easy it was to fall into step with Shippo's and Sesshomaru's life. She thought about the way her mother cried when Shippo came over the other day to meet his 'grandmother', 'great-grandfather' and 'uncle' Souta. She watched how easily Shippo and Souta got along, the way her mother showered him with affection, and, once out of purified salts, grandpa had listened closely to the stories he shared about InuYasha. It was like a dream having him there but all she could think about is how that dream would affect how hard she worked to get over her past.

 **A/N: BTW I'm trying to post every two to three days. I have a few chapters that I'm editing put are essentially done. May take a break at the beginning of September since that's when I have my one week break for my online classes.**


	6. Chapter 6

I've always hated fortune cookies. They were a bit pretentious or repetitive in my experience. But I think Kagome has a good one in store. ^_~

 **Open a Fortune Cookie Day**

They finally made it to the Chinese restaurant Kagome was telling them about. The plates had been cleared away and replaced with a small plate that held their fortunes. Eri, Ayumi and Kagome all cracked open their fortune and read them out loud.

"'You will wade in the waters of a deep love'," Eri squealed.

"'Prosperity comes the next time you speak with a stranger'," Ayumi read.

Kagome's eyebrows pulled together in confusion. _This fortune would make sense if I had gotten it 3 weeks ago._

"What does yours say Kagome?" Eri asked.

"'You will chance a meeting with someone in your past'."

"Do you think it means your friend Shippo?" Ayumi inquired.

"I don't know. Fortunes are about the future, aren't they?"

"Well," Eri began, "A fortune doesn't necessarily mean the future. It could be telling you that that person from your past is good fortune."

Ayumi agreed with Eri. Though Kagome wasn't superstitious and she had come across some very strange things in her life, Kagome was wondering if maybe she would meet someone else from the Sengoku period. Everytime she thought of the possibility of running into Sango or Miroku her heart wept. Knowing it was impossible, unless they had a magic well that sent them into the future, Kagome tried her hardest not to conjure up her last moments with them in the heat of battle. Finally making the shard whole and being swept back to her home through a storm of the jewel's magic and not being able to say good-bye was the hardest thing she ever had to endure.

The next day at work, there was a bunch of commotion in the back office. Kagome had gotten an assistant curator internship at a private museum for one day out of the week by recommendation of her professor. It was mostly receptionist work. Replying to correspondence, scheduling meetings, checking emails when the Head curator was out. Kagome was faxing something over to the university when the actual receptionist came into the copy room.

"Did you hear?" Hinai asked, the excitement rolling off of her.

Kagome shook her head, "What's going on?"

"We got this crazy artifact as a donation from some wealthy guy this morning."

"What kind of artifact?"

"Looks like a weapon of some kind, pretty well preserved. You _have_ to look at it. I think it dates back to the Sengoku period. Isn't that what you're studying in school?"

Kagome was out in the hall making her way toward the conference room before Hinai had finished her sentence. _He wouldn't just give up InuYasha's sword, would he?_

The most Kagome could tell from the doorway of the big conference room was that the artifact was encased in glass. Everyone seemed to be there to take a look at it. Kagome was small enough to elbow her way through the crowd of men and her knees weakened at the object in the case. It was _Hiraikotsu_.

It was practically the same as the last time she saw it but the leather straps bound at each end were tattered and peeling with age. Otherwise, it looked as ready to kill as it did all those years ago.

"Where did it come from?" Kagome asked aloud.

"Some rich guy donated to us. Crazy, huh?" Kagome's boss stood beside her, "There's even a certificate of authenticity with a date range of when it was forged."

Kagome looked up Nakamura, the museum's curator, who had an unfamiliar gleam in his eye. "Where do you wanna put it?" Kagome asked, innocently. Kagome couldn't feel any youki in the weapon of her friend, so it must be safe for it to be here. But there was a stillness to it that made it seem like it had been waiting for something. The curved boomerang gleamed in the artificial light of the official making it look almost unreal to Kagome's eyes.

"Well, it has to go through a series of cataloguing and authentication. Then we can build a collection around it and revive some of the pieces we already have with this new arrival."

"Will we do anything to preserve the bone or leave it as is?" Kagome could feel a knot coiling in her stomach. The apprehension was turning inside of her.

"How do you know it's bone?" He asked, curiously.

"Uhm," she began, "If it's a weapon like everyone says, then it only makes since that it is bone since it looks nothing like metal or stone. Its shape would mean it would have to be something not too heavy if used by one person to throw but also thick enough to deal damage."

"Hmm," Nakamura scratched his beard, "That is a peculiar conclusion. They would have to be considerably strong to wield such a thing. But that seems to be the case."

Kagome released a mental sigh. She'd have to be careful about revealing how much she knew about Sango's Hiraikotsu. The question still remained about who exactly donated it and why.

But what if this was what her fortune was mentioning? It wasn't Sango per se but it was the closes thing to her that Kagome could meet. Her present was constantly colliding with her past these days. Kagome eyed Hiraikotsu with great consideration. _But what were the chances that it ended up at this museum?_

"Kagome, I'd like you to help me with this project," Nakamura insisted.

Kagome didn't know what to say. It was so sudden, but how could she say no? Wasn't it her goal to investigate what happened to her friends. Sure, she could ask Sesshomaru and Shippo but it would all be second hand. This was the closes to trying to get an understanding of how youkai were forced into obscurity and how people like her friends were never mentioned in anything she'd ever read about the Sengoku period. She needed to find out herself. Maybe this would help lead her to Sango's family tree or some document that mentioned youkai.

"If you help me, I can put you on payroll," he added.

Kagome's eyes bulged. What was there to think about? She would be able to research and get paid.

"Of course!" she said.

Before Nakamura cleared everyone out so that the new addition to the museum could be transported, Kagome couldn't help but feel so grateful for the friendship she had shared with Sango. It was hard looking at the well house from her bedroom window and not being able to visit and have their famous girl talks. Eri and Ayumi were great but the only other girl Kagome could really talk to about _everything_ was Sango. She was the sister Kagome had lost to time. If anything, this was the best way for Kagome to feel close to her again. In her longing, she felt a light pulse of youki from the boomerang forged by youkai bones. She imagined it was Sango, somehow, communicating to her from the past.

The knotting in Kagome's stomach was slowly uncoiling with the thought of being able to dig deeper into the five hundred years she'd missed of her friends' lives.


	7. Chapter 7

**National Good Neighbor Day**

Kagome was all moved into her apartment. Shippo and Sesshomaru were bringing the last boxes in as she went through every room thinking of all the ways to make it home. She could hardly contain her joy and excitement for this new development in her life. Her new job at the museum paid more than she imagined and it didn't take much convincing from Shippo to have her own place at that point. Though the apartment was in one of the buildings owned by the Council Sesshomaru was apart of, it was for people like her, human friends of the youkai. There was youkai security but a human management team.

And she paid rent, though she suspected Sesshomaru didn't like the idea of it. But it was close to his apartment, only a block away. Sesshomaru called it compromise, Kagome called it an ultimatum. Where else was she gonna find an apartment this nice for so cheap?

Shippo huffed as they set down the last box of books in the livingroom, "And why didn't we hire help again?"

Sesshomaru seemed unfazed by the back and forth of the move, so she assumed Shippo just wanted to complain.

"There's no point. I don't have any furniture, just a boxes and suitcases."

"Who needs all these books anyway? A Kindle would be lighter," he challenged.

Kagome rolled her eyes as she opened one of the boxes marked 'kitchen'. "Oh, stop complaining. Sesshomaru can you help me put away the dishes and Shippo can set up Buyo's litter and cat tree."

Shippo rolled his eyes as Sesshomaru followed Kagome into the quaint kitchen. It was big enough for a small table in the corner and there was a window Kagome planned to put some plants in.

"I hope these accommodations are suitable for you."

"It's more than enough. Thank you for vouching for me."

"Your reputation was enough for the Council to want you on their side." Sesshomaru put the dishes at the top of the cabinet while Kagome unwrapped them from the newspaper her mother meticulously folded them in.

Kagome's purity thrummed throughout the house already. It encased the walls protectively. They were only allowed in because she wanted them in. Sesshomaru wished that was enough to make him feel she was safe. But he respected her drive to be independent. He just wished he could convince her that she didn't have to be so brave.

"Well, I _was_ the Shikon Miko. But now I'm just ordinary Kagome."

"With two demons at her beck and call," he teased.

"Well, I'm sure you'd look cute rolling over, Sesshomaru, but there's only room for one furry pet," she said as Buyo rubbed against her calf.

They finished putting the dishes away and started on the other boxes. Most were boxes filled with books but there were also other little trinkets that the boys helped her hang on the walls, including a mirror beside the front door. Buyo strutted between their legs as they worked to put her things in the right place.

Kagome unpacked her suitcases of clothes and toiletries as Sesshomaru and Shipp put together her book case and temporary bed.

Finally, once the last box was emptied and broken down to put in the trash, Kagome laid out blankets and set out lunch for the three of them. Shippo couldn't stay long though.

"I have a date in a few hours and I smell like cat and books."

"If you weren't like a son to me…" Kagome warned.

Shippo snatched a few sandwiches and duck out before the end of the sentence. Kagome shook her head. "Does he date often?"

"We do not pry into each other's personal lives."

"Would he even be able to find another mate, like, if he wanted to?"

Sesshomaru nodded mid bite. "Kitsune are not like Inu and Ookami, who mate for life. It is actually encouraged among his kind to take on several partners, even at once."

"He would never do that," Kagome said, confidently.

"He assimilated to pack very easily as a kit. He is, essentially, Inu in the way he is faithful to Rin. But he is still young and he's close to having his sixth tail."

Kagome's eyes widened. She had forgotten to ask Shippo about the reason why their natural features were always hidden. "How do you guys keep your fangs and stuff hidden?"

"Our fangs and _stuff_ are under enchantment by the Council. Some clever monk a few hundred years ago figured out a way to suppress the traits of demon blood."

"Monk? Like Miroku?"

"His great-grandson to be exact." Kagome beamed with pride. It seemed human and youkai could coexist. She guessed that this moment was owed to the fact that her and her friends were perfect examples of that.

"But," she began, "If you wanted to release your youki, could you?"

Sesshomaru closed his eyes and a familiar youki spread through the room. Kagome gasped as the magenta strips appeared on his face along with his crescent moon. The magenta strips seemed to wrap around his body from his face as they appeared along his wrist and arms. When Sesshomaru opened his eyes, she felt like she was back in the feudal era staring at the predator that had on many occasions tried to kill her and her friends.

"I guess that's a yes." Kagome reached towards the strips on his wrist and trailed them with her fingers up to his rolled up sleeve where they disappeared. Her thumb traced the lines back down to his wrist and the pointed claws at the ends of his fingers. She was sure they could rip her throat open if he wanted to and that made her shiver. Sesshomaru's eyes were closed when she looked up. His mouth slightly agape and she could hear a slight rumbling coming from his chest. The Youki and Reiki around them danced, sparking and igniting the air in the room.

"Sorry," she said sheepishly, her face turning a bright pink.

"It is fine," He assured. He did not pull away and she did not stop trailing the same lin on his arm.

Kagome didn't know what came over her. It was the same feeling she had when she first touched InuYasha's ears while he was still stuck to the God tree. But not the same. Sesshomaru's skin was warm but his markings were searing hot. For a moment, she wanted those claws that could tear her to pieces and burn her with its acid to press into her skin. She'd wanted to feel his raw power as it swirled in the room with her reiki.

They continued eating in silence until Sesshomaru's phone vibrated in his pocket. Taking it out he knew he didn't have long to stay, it was just seeing if it was the Council or his board of directors bothering him now.

"The Council awaits," he said as he stood to leave.

Kagome thanked him as she walked him to the door, noticing that his markings had disappeared and nails now normal human nails. "It is my duty as pack leader to assure your comfort. If there is anything you need, please call me."

"I can handle myself. Go. Get of here."

Sesshomaru hesitated at the door and looked down at what was his new ward. "Can I be honest with you, Kagome?"

Kagome nodded, "Of course, Sesshomaru."

"You are of no inconvenience to Shippo and I. You _are_ pack, you have always been pack. We want nothing but your happiness. I want to be your friend, not just your Alpha. I hope that is acceptable."

"Yes. I'd like that." The two stood there for a moment until Sesshomaru's phone broke the silence again. Sesshomaru left and Kagome locked the door behind him, leaned against the door and released the breath she didn't know she was holding.

"What was that?" She asked Buyo who looked up at Kagome with his big eyes. He mewled and walked away, leaving Kagome to her own conclusions on the man that is Sesshomaru.


	8. Chapter 8

**I love books! I love the smell and texture and the weight of them but I also love my kindle. I can have both, right? Right?!**

 **Also, sorry this update took so long. Last week of the term of my online class. Cranking out papers and journals takes me away from this. Enjoy.**

 **Book Lovers Day**

Kagome wasn't sure how Sesshomaru had ended up in the bookstore with her. She remembers texting him about skipping dinner with her family and opting to go out but Eri and Ayumi were busy on a double date. She wasn't used to living alone yet, though Buyo was good company. Cats weren't much for conversation. But before she knew it, she was meeting up with Sesshomaru at his office and then, at the book store.

Maybe she did remember how they got here, with Sesshomaru brooding behind her sending off malicious youki to any guy who came too close. He took his job as Alpha very seriously, she thought.

"Reel it in a bit there, Cujo," Kagome teased. At this rate, she would never get a date. Not that she wanted one. Maybe she would bring him out more to ward off awkwardly rejecting guys.

"Their intentions are dishonorable."

"You can smell that kind of stuff?" she whispered, getting closer to him. If his youki hadn't sent them running, their proximity to each other would misdirect people on the actual nature of their relationship. Sesshoamru took a deep breath as if smelling the air.

"There is also a daiyouki here. I do not recognize his scent but he has kept away since smelling mine."

Kagome subconsciously looked around for anyone who could be the mysterious daiyoukai. "It may be one of Koga's. He said he would have some of his pack follow me for protection."

He shook his head, "They left when you arrived at my office."

She swallowed nervously. There didn't seem to be any immediate threat but Sesshomaru's posture was rigid and in position to pounce. "Are we safe?" she asked.

"Hmm."

She breathed out in relief. If he said they were safe, she believed him. She wanted him to relax as well. She put her hand on his arm and let a soft flow of reiki surround them. She felt the tiny hairs on his skin stand. The aura of his youki seemed to pull back and only take up the space of the aisle they were in instead of the entire store.

Kagome pulled her hand away and began to move further along the bookshelf looking for anything interesting since she had already found the books she came for. Though much more relaxed now, Sesshomaru was still on high alert.

"Do you read, Sesshomaru?" she asked as she fingered the spin of a particularly thick anthology of haiku.

"Of course. Though it has been some time since I've read for pleasure."

"I can't imagine you do anything for pleasure," she teased. The words were out of her mouth before she cold stop them. The edge of his lips pulled up in a mischievous smirk. It happened so fast that when she blinked it was gone. But it made Kagome's cheeks hot with embarrassment.

"I am a being of many pleasures, Kagome. Reading being one of them," he confessed, an unfamiliar husk in his voice.

Kagome looked at him, "Then, maybe you should try to read something that isn't for work."

She remembered seeing the stack of papers on his desk when they left his office. He didn't seem stressed by them, but it didn't mean he enjoyed them.

"Any suggestions?"

Kagome hitched an eyebrow, "What do you like?"

"I enjoy poetry." Kagome wasn't sure if he was joking or serious, but he didn't say anything else.

Kagome bit her lip in thought. She imagined that Sesshomaru might like something less serious since he seemed to have a playful side to him. Something he could enjoy on a lazy Sunday afternoon when he wasn't working. Kagome had only look for about half a minute before she found it. The cover had a curled up cat and it was one of Kagome's favorites.

"'I am Cat?'" he read incredulously. Kagome only smiled.

"May I suggest something?" He offered.

Before Kagome could respond he had offered her a book from the shelf across from the one they were standing next to. It was a book by an American author:"The Time Traveler's Wife".

"Are you trying to tell me something, Sesshomaru?"

"I figured maybe it may grant you some perspective on the friends you left behind."

Kagome hadn't heard of the book before, and her English was rusty, but she could guess that it had something to do with the woes of a woman whose husband went back and forth through time. Was he comparing her to the husband? Did the perspective he mentioned include him as well? She looked at the cover. There was a shot of a young girls feet with a pair of adult male shoes next to them as if she was waiting for somone. She looked at Sesshomaru and considered him for a moment. There was so much she didn't know about him. But she could tell that he had changed exponentially from the power hungry, young youkai chasing after his father's sword to... _what exactly?_

He was well off but she didn't know what his work was. She knew little about the Council and what his duties were there. She didn't even know that types of things he did for fun, where he liked to vacation, his favorite food or wine. Shouldn't those be things you knew about your Alpha?

Kagome held the book to her chest with the rest of her books, "What is your favorite poem, Sesshomaru?"

She had expected him to say the title and author and see if she had heard it before. But he recited it in a soft, lulling voice:

 _I wish I were close_

 _To you as the wet skirt of_

 _A salt girl to her body._

 _I think of you always._

"Sounds familiar."

"Akahito was always my favorite."

Sesshomaru took Kagome's books from her hand as they moved further down the aisle. It reminded her of when Hojo wanted to hold her books when they walked to school. But this didn't feel like he was doing it to gain her favor. It seemed natural to him to take care of someone. She wondered if there was anyone who cared for him that way.

"I like that one," she admitted, no longer interested in browsing through the books.

"It is one of his more romantic ones but good, nonetheless."

"I may have to make you recite poems more often, Alpha." Sesshomaru raised a silver brow.

"Do not mistake me for the romantic type."

Slightly disappointed, Kagome said, "Of course not."

"Speaking of romantic. I hear from Shippo that you are trying to avoid dating," he said changing the subject.

"Not avoid. Just holding off. School and work and the new apartment take all of my time now. And finding time to spend with you and Shippo and my friends."

"We are not going anywhere. It is healthy to date, even casually."

"Do you date casually?"

"Hnn." Kagome couldn't imagine Sesshomaru staring at a woman on the other side of the table at a restaurant making small talk.

They made it to the register and Sesshomaru purchased their books. Kagome decided not to grumble at him buying them but she figured he did instinctively. Alpha duties and all that. She wasn't sure she'd get used to it though.

"And what if I wanted to buy the entire store, huh?" She challenged.

"I could afford it," he teased. Kagome huffed as they walked out of the bookstore and onto the street.

"Do you take vacation Sesshomaru?" She wondered if he managed to relax at all throughout the year or if both his work and the Council took all his time.

"Once in a while. When there's a lull at work or the Council. It is rare that that is the case for both."

Kagome nodded. It was amazing that he even found time to date casually as he mentioned earlier. He did go on to talk about a piece of land he still owned out west that we went to visit once a year no matter what. Him, Shippo, InuYasha, and Rin used to go out there during the Holidays. But now that it was just the two of them the past century, they hadn't gone together since. To compensate, Shippo suggested the monthly dinner so that they wouldn't forget each other.

"Seems like you guys need to go soon. Spend some pack time together."

"That would include you Kagome."

"I don't know. I haven't been away from home for the holidays since..."

Sesshomaru interjected, "Please. Do not feel you have to go. I'm sure we would enjoy your company if you came with us."

"Then it's settled!" She beamed as Sesshomaru held the door open to his car for her. A placid smile appeared on his lips at her energy. She was becoming the young woman he remembered all those years ago.

A pair of red eyes watched them as they got into Sesshomaru's car and into the late afternoon traffic.


	9. Chapter 9

**Daughter's Day**

Mrs. Higurashi knew her daughter like the bottom of her favorite tea cup. The ridges along the underside, the chip near the handle, its delicate design a bold red. It was apart of a set she got when she married Kagome's father, but she favored this particular cup. Tea always tasted better in this cup in the same way that speaking to her daughter made her day better, even if she only spoke to her on the phone these last couple of weeks.

"Maybe you should talk to this professor one on one to see his perspective." Ever patient, she listened to her daughter grumble about a professor who gave her a C on some assignment.

"I will not speak to that self-righteous butthole." Kagome found herself censoring her words for the sake of her mother.

"Then you'll never get that C off. You'll live with it for the rest of your life," she teased.

Kagome laughed, "Yeah, and that might be a long time."

Mrs. Higurashi knew Kagome's concerns of the effects the jewel may be having on her body. Though it wasn't anything she could do about it, Mrs. Higuarashi feared it may be one of those things that was making it hard for Kagome to adjust. It was hard to try to make friends with people who looked like they were aging faster than you.

"That wouldn't be such a bad thing. Especially now that you have some of your friends back."

Kagome sighed on the other end of the phone. Mrs. Higurashi could imagine her on the couch with Buyo in her lap and her feet tucked under her with her famous pouty face. The same one she gave when her father would come home and after a round of tickle fight tell her it's time for bed.

"I'm guessing that isn't a comfort?" Mrs. Higurashi asked.

Kagome explained that it was and wasn't. The idea that she could live forever was scary. She wasn't sure how Shippo and Sesshomaru lived this long without considering the alternative to be a form of relief. It was a luxury for humans to expect an end, it made living more meaningful and every decision that more important.

"Shippo seems to have been in the stage I am now for the past 300 years. He's had more jobs than even Sesshomaru. How do you make meaning out of that?"

"I think it's more about who do you make the meaning with. Your friends are a big part of your life again. I'm sure they can spare some wisdom on the ways they endure….an extended life."

Kagome knew her mother was softening what Kagome's possible immortality would mean for her family. She could never imagine watching Souta go before her. Her grandfather and mother were a given, she couldn't change that. No one knew the power of the jewel shard but sometimes she could feel its power reassure her. It had chosen her as its protector, the one who is pure of heart, who made the wish to keep the jewel safe from evil and corruption. Kagome assumed that the jewel interpreted that to be within her. It probably couldn't think of a better place as its power sealed off the well six years ago.

"I'm getting a headache," she admitted. Kagome's mother was the essence of patience on the other side of the phone.

"You sound like your father," Kagome's mother smiled at the image.

Kagome's heart was full and heavy with memories of him. His presence, his loss, his love. They all attacked her at once. Something filled the space between the two women. A mix of longing and acceptance. Kagome held Buyo close to her with the phone cradled between her shoulder and ear. She looked on the wall at the photo of herself, her mother pregnant with Souta, and her father. It was such a good memory.

"He would think I'm crazy. Youkai and magic jewels."

"He'd think you were brave and strong. He'd be your biggest cheerleader."

Before Kagome started to cry, she gave an excuse to hang up. Mrs. Higurashi made her promise to visit soon, eat dinner with the family. She promised, the way a daughter promises her mother anything; with uncertainty and guilt.

Kagome took a breath when she hung up and went to lay on her futon in her bedroom. All of her dark thoughts were creeping up on her. But she found comfort in the single memory of her father the day that photo was taken of them.

 _Summer came early for Japan and the young family took advantage of it this time around._

 _A young Kagome bounced up and down in the back seat of the car. Today they were going to the zoo. Her father and mother finally had kept their promise. She held onto her puppy stuffed toy and asked, "Are there gonna be puppies there?"_

 _Mr. Higurashi looked at his swollen wife with amusement. "Yea sweetheart, but they won't be just any dogs. They'll be big, hungry wolves looking to eat little girls for lunch."_

 _Kagome giggled infectiously, "Wolves don't eat people." Mrs. Higurashi couldn't help but to smile at the banter between the two. She craddled her belly as a kicking baby made its presence known._

" _Oh, yea? Well I saw a wolf eat a whole person before in one big bite."_

 _Kagome giggled again, "Silly daddy. Their mouths aren't big enough."_

" _I guess we'll have to just wait and see if I'm right."_

 _The family arrived at the zoo soon after and made it through admissions with relative ease. Most people were at the beach but Kagome loved the zoo. There was a sign that showed the different directions to the different exhibits. Kagome pointed to the one with the howling wolf and dragged her parents to the wolf exhibit._

" _Daddy, they don't look like they can eat a whole human."_

" _That's what they want you to think. But then, they open their mouth and swallow you whole." Mr. Higurashi made a growling noise and began to chase little Kagome around while pretending to be such an animal. Kagome's effort were futile as the wolf-man who was her father began to tickle her tummy. His version of eating her whole._

" _Wait for me," Kagome's mother waddled towards the two. At the end of the exhibit, which shared space with other carnivorous wildlife, Kagome persuaded her parents to get her the wolf mask so that she could exact her revenge on her father._

 _Once outside the exhibit, one of the employees offered to take a picture of the family. Kagome's father pulled her mother in close in one arm and held Kagome up in his other. Kagome pulled up her masked and smiled wide, happy and content._

 **A/N: Updates will be every 5 days. This'll give me time between assignments to update and edit. I've been enjoying my week off from online classes. But Monday the grind starts back up. I did a lot of writing this week so I'm pretty much good on chapters for the next 6 weeks. Just gotta edit!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Here's a sappy one for you guys.**

 **Grandparents' Day**

After much scolding from her mother, Kagome came over to the shrine to spend time cleaning with her grandfather and Souta, the latter with much reluctance.

Her grandfather had the same spunk as always but he was moving much slower these days. She had felt bad for leaving the shrine when she saw the state of the shrine and the storage room. Kagome opened the door to the storage room so that it could air out the mildew smell from the summer heat and rain. Souta began taking the boxes of shrine decorations and old toys outside.

"I haven't seen this in ages," Souta beamed as he waded through one of the boxes.

Kagome peaked over his shoulder and saw one of his old toys that he never wanted to give up.

"Jii-chan, why do you keep all this stuff here?" she asked, "Wouldn't it be easier to donate?"

Jii-chan rubbed his chin considering, "I'm leaving it to my wonderful grandchildren to take care of."

Kagome and Souta rolled their eyes. Kagome opened one of the boxes and found one of her old shrine maiden outfits she wore for _Shogatsu_ and other important shrine holidays. She pulled it out of the box half way and noticed that it was very similar to the one Kikyo wore. Each stitch and fold similar to her's.

"Gonna put it on for the new year?" Souta asked, as he closed up the boxes he was looking through.

"Nah," she said, "I think I'm over that."

"What do you mean?" Jii-chan croaked mid sweep with the broom, a look of shock and disappointment on his face, "You are our shrine maiden, you can't just opt out."

Kagome sighed, "Jii-chan, I'm too old to be a shrine maiden."

"You are not too old. Until you marry, you are the Higurashi shrine maiden."

Souta snickered in the corner. Kagome threw a vicious glare at him before responding.

"If that's the case, then I'm gonna be a shrine maiden forever." It was a can of worms Kagome wanted to avoid opening but it never failed.

"Marriage is not a death sentence Kagome. When I married your grandmother, we were Souta's age. It was hard but we loved each other."

 _Yeah and you didn't save the world and have your heart broken._

"That's great and all, Jii-chan, but times are different now. I wouldn't be surprised if I never got married."

He grumbled and went back to sweeping. Souta frowned at her but didn't say anything as the trio continued to dust and organize the boxes for the new year's decorations. Kagome's mother called Jii-chan to the house, leaving Kagome and Souta alone to sift through which decorations they were gonna use this year.

"You really think you're not gonna get married?" He finally asked.

Kagome took a deep breath and spoke more frankly than she had with any one for a long while, "Traveling back and forth through the well was the best thing in my life and then, it was ripped away from me without any choice on my part. The whole thing with InuYasha made me realize that love is more complicated than it's worth."

"I never knew the specifics of what happened but when you came home that day for the last time you looked…..broken. Your uniform was torn, you had blood and dirt all over you. You looked exhausted, more so than anyone ever should be at that age."

Kagome nodded, "The final battle was hard. We almost lost people….friends. Then, without warning the jewel trapped me back here."

"Is that how you really feel?" he asked, "Trapped?"

"I didn't mean it that way," she assured. She hadn't meant to make her brother feel like she didn't want to be here in this time. "It's just…what could compare to _that_?"

"I wanna get married," he said, "I want a kid and a wife and a home."

"That's great, Souta. And you deserve that."

"So do you," he said softly. He placed his hand on her and looked at her sadly. She hadn't realized how perceptive and grown her brother had become. It made her long for the past even more. Kagome caressed the trinket in her hand. It was a small porcelain box with a bird perched on a tree branch painted on it. The surface was smooth and cool, the total opposite of how she felt on the inside at the moment. Her heart was jagged and in no shape to love anyone the way they would deserve.

"Thank you." Kagome's voice was small and low.

Jii-chan came into the storage room with a bucket and mop.

"Souta, your mother wants help in the kitchen."

Souta left Kagome with her grandfather, who seemed to have a sad look on his face.

"Kagome, I know this life, this shrine is what you've been trying to get away from."

"I haven't.."

He stopped her, "You went through something most teenage girls do not even go through until they are much older."

Kagome realized he was talking about her infamous love triangle with InuYasha and Kikyo.

"Shippo told me that they lost him some time ago. I'm sorry you couldn't see him again."

"It's fine. He's resting peacefully now."

"Maybe you should go to see him."

Kagome shook her head, "I do not know where he is. Sesshomaru never told me."

Jii-chan smiled, "Follow me."

Kagome followed him to outside to the main shrine area and towards the Goshinboku. The tree's limbs sway gently in the soft autumn breeze as if waiting for them. Jii-chan stood next the tree and turned to Kagome.

"Shippo might have mentioned that InuYasha was buried here by my grandfather."

Kagome looked between her grandfather and the tree. The tear shaped scar in the tree hadn't changed since she saw it last year. With the family house being closer to the front of the property she didn't have many opportunities to examine it up close.

"Why would they do that?" Kagome stepped forward and touched the bark.

"I believed they only needed to mention his name. I remember you mentioning that they had named the forest after him that used to be here. I think they felt it only right that he rested where he once rested before."

It seemed surreal. The whole time that she was going back and forth between the past and the present, InuYasha's body lay under the dirt of the very tree she had first met him. Even after she had been sent back to the present, the proof of his existence here in the present sat right under her nose. They would be connected no matter the circumstance

"InuYasha….you idiot." The rush of tears that broke through the dam of her pride and pain seemed never ending. Her vision blurred and her eyes stung with the sheer force of them.

Kagome's grandfather looked on with hope that this would help her move forward to a happy future.

"Mourn as long as you must."

Kagome took her grandfather into a hug before he could leave, "Thank you, Jii-chan, for telling me. I know Shippo must've told you in confidence."

"No. He wanted me to tell you. He, also, wanted to let me know of my grandfather's involvement in the ceremony they gave him. I believe it is why he was allowed on the grounds when he came through the well to get you. The legend of what you and your friends did may be lost to the modern world but there are people who know you and what you did. Saving the world from darkness isn't something easily forgotten."

Kagome could feel her heavy heart lighten at his words. It all made sense.

"I only want your happiness," he reminded her.

"That seems to be what everyone wants for me," she said, "Where do I find happiness?"

"There is no final destination for happiness. Treat it like a journey…an adventure." He smiled at a teary-eyed Kagome warmly.

Kagome wiped the tears with the back of her sweater. Adventure she understood. She would make her life an adventure to her happiness. She looked back at the Goshinboku.

 _I miss you, InuYasha, but I will be happy._


	11. Chapter 11

**I know you've been waiting for more Sessho and Kag stuff. Here it is. Enjoy.**

 **Fight Procrastination Day**

Kagome sat on the comfy couch in Sesshomaru's office like it was her bed. She laid on her stomach, legs swaying in the air, with her hands under her chin reading a book for class. On Tuesdays, she had a big block between classes, about three hours. It didn't make sense to go all the way home so she figured she'd stop half way and drop in on Sesshomaru. She had enjoyed his company at the book store and figured he'd be less talkative, as opposed to Shippo. She had a lot of reading to catch up on.

The late afternoon sun casted through the floor to ceiling windows across Sesshomaru's desk and the left side of his face. Kagome found him more interesting to look at then the pictures of contemporary Japanese art. She liked the way his gold eyes shimmered in the light in his intense focus of the screen in front of him. The strong set of his jaw a careful contrast against the soft braid that hung over his shoulder.

Sesshomaru was handsome, but Kagome could lend that to his not so human genetics. But there was something else about him. Something vulnerable in the way he sat hunched over the files on his desk and looking between them and typing on the computer.

With a big sigh, Kagome closed her text book which warranted a quick glance from the daiyoukai on the other side of the room.

"Finished already? I remember you saying you had a million pages to read."

"It's mostly remedial stuff. Things I can expect to hear about in class." Kagome turned her body toward her pack mate and stretched like a sleepy kitten.

He gave a noncommittal "Hnn" and continued clacking away at the keyboard.

The frisky human swung her legs off the couch and onto the floor. She stood and began to walk around the room. Making her way from the plaques on the wall behind the couch to the clear globe for "Company of the Year" that sat on a shelf with other awards to the swords behind Sesshomaru's head. He barely bothered to glanced at the curious human who swiped a finger across the hilts of each sword. Each lacked the dust she found on the other items in the room. They seemed to be cleaned regularly.

Kagome stood behind Sesshomaru's chair and gripped his shoulders lightly. This caused the daiyoukai to raise an eyebrow and stop mid-sentence on his keyboard.

"Is there something wrong?" He asked, taking in the way her reiki danced in to the air. He could immediately see the pattern in her energy. The way it caressed his skin playfully. Poking at his youki.

"No," she pulled his braid to his back and began to unravel it. It reached the mid-back of his chair. She ran her fingers through it, eliminating any tangles.

"Isn't this kinda like what dogs in packs do? Groom one another."

"More so between mother and pup." He replied, holding back a purr.

"So, I guess I am like the mother then."

"Are you calling me a pup, Kagome?"

"Only if you act like one," she quipped as her fingers began to massage the base of his skull and work its way up into his scalp. The massage sent tingles down his spine. For a moment, he didn't mind being called a pup.

Kagome couldn't help but smile. _No snarky remark now, huh?_

She hardly remembered any of the youkai stuff Sango taught her, but if they were anything like modern animals, dogs liked to be affectionate and they liked to be rubbed. She seemed to be right if the way Sesshomaru was melting in her hands was any indication.

He had leaned back in the chair with such an honest abandon that it made Kagome focus more on the way her fingers reached every part of his head.

"How did you know I had a blistering headache?" He managed to ask.

"Well, if you're anything like me, staring at a screen for hours at a time gives you a headache. It's why I prefer my books not on a screen."

"Mm."

Kagome worked her fingers down his neck and to his shoulders. Slowly working out muscles he didn't know ached from being hunched over at his desk.

"How are you good at this?"

"My friends and I took one of those masseuse classes a few years ago. Eri thought it would spice up her love life so she dragged us along."

"I shall have to thank this Eri for this wonderful treat she has bestowed upon me. Would it be too much to ask you to drop out of school to be my personal masseuse?"

"In your dreams," Kagome blushed.

He gave a dramatic sigh, "Doesn't hurt to ask." He grabbed her hand and spun in the chair to face her. He pulled her down to his lap and said, "If you are really interested in pack dynamics I would not mind teaching you some things."

The closeness sent a rush of emotions through Kagome. The look in his eyes did nothing to calm the pattering of her heart. Sesshomaru took her hands and put them on his cheeks. "My marks are very sensitive. Touching them invites chase."

"Chase?"

"Courtship."

"Like dating?"

"Old fashioned dating."

"So…when I was touching them at my house, I was actually…..?"

"Yes," he confirmed.

Kagome reeled. She had been intimate with Sesshomaru without even knowing it. But why tell her now? She pulled her hands away and sat them on her lap. Looking at his hooded eyes she felt a rolling in the pit of her stomach. So, she asked.

"I did not wish you to think me dishonorable since I….indulged."

She nodded, "So what if I touch you here?" Kagome placed her finger on the skin of his forehead where his crescent moon was.

He smiled, "An acknowledgment of my pedigree. Pack members do not normally do this but those outside the pack may."

"What would a pack member do?" She asked.

Sesshomaru kissed the space on her forehead. It was soft and lasted some time. But Kagome was as curious as she was flustered. What does it mean? So, she asked.

"It is usually done to the Alpha. A way of showing honor and respect to one's leader."

On impulse, she kissed his nose and looked on expectantly.

"A pup's way of showing affection."

"Is there a way I can show you affection without setting off any ancient dating rituals and not as a pup?"

Sesshomaru looked thoughtful for a moment. And without notice, his rough tongue lapped her forehead. She giggled, "Without involving bodily fluids, if possible."

Sesshomaru simply placed his head against hers. His eyes closed and he relished these explorative moments of contact. Any other human would probably be put off by everything that transpired in the last few minutes. But this girl….so unique to this world with the knowledge of youkai and magic jewels has made her an invaluable pack mate. A good friend in her capacity to understand and show compassion. 'A worthy mate for any man,' he thought. A poem came to his head and he spoke softly,

" _Without consequence,_

 _She strikes the iron while hot._

 _Metal sings a song."_

"I like that. Who is it?"

He cleared his throat, "Don't remember."

Kagome tried to get pass the fact that they had traded kisses in the last minute or so and focused on remembering the different gestures. Their pack seemed small but she wanted to try her best to be as involved as possible.

They both pulled away at the same time as the door to Sesshomaru's office opened. His assistant had come in and stood at the door. Kagome had expected him to nudge her off of his lap or at least act modest.

"Is it something you could not call me for?"

"Yes, Mr. Urameka. Your mother is demanding your presence at an emergency board meeting."

Sesshomaru waved her off after a brief acknowledgment. Mizaki bowed curtly and closed the door.

"Unfortunately, my dear pack mate, lessons will have to conclude for the day. You no long have me as an excuse to keep from your reading."

Kagome groaned as she stood up and began to make her way back to her spot on the couch. She didn't want to seem as disappointed as she felt. She would never admit to anyone how much she enjoyed her 'lesson' with Sesshomaru. If you looked beyond the exchange of kisses on random body parts, it was an educational venture that she thoroughly enjoyed. Yes, she told herself, the kisses were educational, too.

"You may stay as long as you need," he said as he put on his suit jacket, "I do not expect to be back before you go."

"Well in that case…" Kagome met him at his office door and stood on her toes before he leaned down to place his forehead against hers again. After she pulled away, she braided his hair in its original plait and admired her work.

"Work hard."

"You, as well."

He was gone and she finished her reading before heading back to the university.

 **A/N: The poem is an original one I made for Sesshomaru. I'm not good at Haiku but I wanted to keep it consistent with his personality. Hope you enjoyed. See you in 5 days!**


	12. Chapter 12

**More Sessh and Kag quality time. I promise this will pick up soon. Until then, enjoy. ;)**

 **International Grenache Day**

Kagome was spending more and more time with Shippo and Sesshomaru but she found herself around Sesshomaru more often. Council work kept Shippo away for long periods of time. She was wondering what made their roles in the Council so different. Sesshomaru was more at work than anywhere else.

Sesshomaru was teaching her the best way to cook a steak. First, in a caste iron pan to make nice crust and then, in the oven to make it tender. They were at the oven part, drinking deer and talking, mostly Kagome, about nothing.

They were at her house. She enjoyed having him barefoot in her home. It was almost a requirement now, even though she wore socks.

"I don't really like beer," she confessed.

A silver eyebrow perked, "Why allow me to fill you with it these last few hours?"

"Politeness," she answered easily. She sat across the couch, her feet tucked under his thighs for warmth.

"Hnn."

"What?"

"You never really cared for polite."

Kagome took a sip and protested, "Not true. I was always polite to you."

"Except when waving a sword in my face."

She snorted, "I'm surprised you remember that."

"Hard to forget the ningen who risked her life for my idiot brother in her ignorance."

"Yeah. If I really knew what you were capable of InuYasha might have gotten a well-deserved butt whipping," she smiled.

"Hn."

The timer for the oven dinged and Sesshomaru stood to retrieve their dinner. Kagome pouted at the lack of her personal radiator. She finished her beer and followed him into the kitchen to find the bottle of Grenache Sesshomaru had given her as house warming gift. Sesshomaru placed the steaks on plates with cubed potatoes and asparagus.

Kagome was struggling to open the bottle when Sesshomaru took it, and pulled the cork out with a nail. He threw the cork in the garbage and looked at his human pack mate who had an impressed look on her face. Kagome liked when he could relax around her with his youkai features hanging out. He looked regal, even when he was yanking out the cork of a bottle of wine with his nail. She took the bottle and poured them both a glass. The Grenache was sweet with a berry flavor. She wondered if it was a good pair with the steak. She figured he would say something if it didn't.

"The ladies are lucky. A strong man who can cook and open bottles of wine with a single nail?" Kagome snatched an asparagus from the plate, "How are you still on the market?"

"Most women like that their men are not 800 years older and have a demanding job with little to no breaks."

"Hmm. I can see the appeal," she mused.

Sesshomaru shook his head.

"What? Ever hear of Twilight? Women like their men pale, old enough to be their grandfather, and shiny."

"Thank the heavens I do not sparkle." Kagome burst out laughing. The idea of Sesshomaru reading a young adult novel about vampires was unbelievable.

"Vampires are kinda like youkai. Some of the more well-known youkai were said to drink blood."

"The lesser youkai, yes. They thought it was the way to gain human form."

They sat at Kagome's small kitchen table. Kagome's nerdy side perked at that.

"So, there was a time that all youkai held non-human forms?" Kagome chewed into a bite of steak and let an orgasmic sound escape her lips. Sesshomaru gave a satisfied smile.

"Yes. It is said that upon the enormous will of one youkai he was able to gain a human form and walk among men."

"Will? Will to do what?"

"Youkai are envious creatures by nature. My father once told me that this particular youkai was envious of one thing, love."

"Love?" Kagome was disappointed.

"My father was a romantic. As a pup, I thought that one must want more than love. I was taught the values of strength and honor from my mother as a result of my father's betrayal. But love immortalized my father through InuYasha. In hind sight, I could understand why he valued love."

"Your father's betrayal was the reason you didn't get along with InuYasha?"

"No, it was my childish ideals of what I thought power would bring me. But it never gave me my father back and the only other family I had I almost killed for it."

Kagome nodded slowly. This was a side of Sesshomaru she hadn't seen before. The one who spoke in pure admiration of his father despite the fact that he had hurt his mother and regret of the early relationship with his brother. She hadn't realized how one sided the story had been all that time ago. Had he been able to bring down his defenses a little faster she would've known him better in the final days leading up to their battle with Naraku. Youkai were lucky to have a longer life span than humans.

"And about the lesser youkai? I don't exactly see them hanging around downtown," she asked, bringing the conversation back to the original topic.

"Gone. Died out or hunted by humans. Only to be alluded to in your books on mythology."

"Must be weird to be only known as a mythical creature."

"It gives us some invisibility. The Council relies on this. It is essential to the work we do."

"What do you guys do?"

"Well, Shippo does a lot of footwork. But we mostly keep to ourselves, police our kind, give shelter when needed to our human allies and help females achieve successful pregnancies."

"You guys _are_ the Volturi!" she teased.

"We don't take ourselves so seriously except, my mother."

He explained that the leaders of the Council primarily acted as judge and executioner when necessary, which included his mother. He acted as counsel and confidant to anyone who was set before the Council for breaking any rules.

"It rarely gets to that point but I have been involved in four. With it being so little of us, we aren't too keen on killing our kind. We usually find a solution, compromise."

"Usually? So there has been an execution before?"

"One since we established the Council." But it didn't seem like he wanted to speak more on the matter. Kagome wondered why.

Their plates were cleared and clean. They found their spot back on the sofa. Kagome didn't have TV but it seemed that it would be fitting to have something fill the background noise between Kagome's questions and Sesshomaru's explanations. Her head felt bubbly from the delicious Grenache so she eventually just let him talk when he wanted.

"The twins will be in town in a few weeks. They are eager to meet you." Kagome leaned against him and yawned.

"Can't wait," she managed through another yawn.

"I should go."

"But you're so warm." Kagome wrapped her arms around his waist.

Outside it was cold, yet she refused to turn the thermostat up. A small rebellion since her rent checks kept getting sent back. Something she suspected was Sesshomaru's doing. She set her mind on going to the management office to turn them in herself. She didn't think it would change anything but it was the principle of the matter.

Kagome could feel strong arms surround her. She snuggled closer feeling at ease. Sesshomaru felt guilty. He appreciated her lithe form against him. The way her hair tickled his chin as she lay against him. She smelled like lavender soap and her reiki was calm. He knew it was wrong to enjoy this but he has come to accept that she tore through the resolve he was so known for. He made smalls circles on her arm and took a deep breath.

"You are dangerous," he whispered.

"Hm?"

"I have to confess to something…"

"Shhh. I'm sleeping." He smiled and kissed the top of her forehead. After much convincing to himself, he lifted and carried his sleeping pack mate to her room and gently rested her on the bed. She let out a groan as he went to turn up the thermostat.

He went back to the bed and sat at the edge. He pulled the light blue comforter over her. There was a picture of her and Shippo on the small table next to her bed. It was one of those new mini instant polaroid pictures. He smiled. She was dressed in a light blue dress that fit her perfectly. In the picture, she was smiling brightly, Shippo was looking off to the side, and he had a small smile on his own face. His pack mates were happy. As their alpha, he was prideful. But something else made a part of him content. They were happy so he was happy, despite the fact that he was finding himself more attracted to her the more he spent time with her.

"Sessh?"

"Hn?"

"Do pack mates cuddle?"

"They can," he answered.

Kagome cuddled tighter under her blanket and opened her eyes. Her reiki nudged him inquisitively as if asking a question. A question he could clearly see in her brown eyes.

There were many reasons why he shouldn't indulge such a question. As the pack alpha, it would warp traditional pack dynamics but his pack was anything but traditional. With a kitsune, a human, and two twin nieces who were one-fourth youkai, traditional wasn't part of his track record. It might also affect the friendship that he wanted to establish with Kagome first. If he was anything, he was a patient man. There was no rush for him, and from what he heard from Shippo she was in no rush to date. He was conflicted nonetheless, but her reiki was strong and inviting, even for someone as powerful as he. It welcomed him without all the adverse effects of a normal Miko of her strength.

Before he knew it though, he was climbing in bed next to her. Her back facing him and his arm wrapped around her. If he had allowed himself such thoughts he would think that she fit against him perfectly. That her hair was soft and delightful against his sensitive nose. That this was really where he wanted to be without her suggesting it under the guise of learning pack behavior.

But maybe he was thinking about it too much. Or maybe the Grenache had somehow managed to sway his youkai blood into taking this chance.

 **A/N: Review please!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Anyone else love pleasant surprises? =)**

 **Serendipity Day**

Kagome was on the phone scheduling an appointment for Sango's _Hiraikotsu_ with a local weapons specialist at work. He would provide some required background on how it was made and what it could have been used for. Even though Kagome could answer all of those questions, she couldn't really prove that she had known its owner because she was a time travelling teenager who restored a sacred jewel from an evil demon seeking revenge.

Her small desk was in the corner across from her boss', who was somewhere in the museum buttering up some donators. The job had fit her perfectly despite the lack of direction from her boss most days. She had a knack for handling people who underestimated her.

"Yes, as I said, you will need to come to the museum to examine the artifact. We will not move it since we are unsure of its condition and its ability to be moved back and forth," Kagome spoke sternly into the phone.

There was a knock on the door and Kagome finished her conversation with the specialist.

"Come in."

The secretary opened the door and poked her head of dark hair in, "There's a young man who says he's your brother here to see you."

"Souta?" She asked, "I'll be out in a second." Kagome grabbed her cardigan to keep the chill of the museum at bay and stepped outside the office into the reception area.

The reddish hair momentarily confused Kagome until she realized how weird it would've been if Shippo had said he was her son.

"Kagome!" Shippo beamed, he hugged her tightly and released to reveal a bag of food. "Have time for lunch?"

Kagome nodded. Though she had a lot of work to do she could spare the time. She hadn't seen him in a few weeks. The duo walked through the museum and outside to one of the benches that sat in various spots around the building. Lunch consisted of takoyaki and onigiri. They eat silently until Shippo had had his fill. Kagome ate slowly.

"How's the apartment?"

Kagome swallowed, "Quiet. But Buyo is good company."

"I hear Buy isn't the only one hangin' around the apartment." Hid eyebrows wiggled cartoonishly and Kagome could barely suppress a laugh.

"Sesshomarubis good company. At least he cooks when he comes over."

"I order really good take out," he defended himself with mouth full.

Kagome smiled but it didn't quite reach her eyes like earlier.

Shippo could tell when something was on her mind. When he was young he would pull up all the faces she had in his mind. Hoping to remember her when they found her in the present. Her face was thoughtful and sad like when she would think about Kikyo and Inuyasha. He kept forgetting how fresh the _Sengoku Jidai_ was for her. It seemed forever ago.

"There something else is on your mind?"

She gave a slow smile, "I guess I'm easy to read."

"Like a book," he grinned.

Kagome took a thoughtful bite of takoyaki and swallowed, "I believe there may be some long term consequences from my time in the Sengoku period."

His human ears perked with interest. He looked on expectantly as Kagome set her chopsticks down.

"I think the Shikon Jewel made its way back inside of me….after my wish."

He urged her on.

"I think it has chosen me for its vessel. To protect…." Shippo looked confused at what could be wrong with that, "….forever."

"Is that a bad thing?"

Kagome rolled her eyes, "I am not youkai. I don't _want_ to live forever."

"That would explain why you are far more powerful than I remember. But that's good news. Humans are so…." Shippo struggled to find the word.

"Temporary?"

"Limited edition. I blink and you guys are gray and saggin' whose shadows linger in their children. I lost really good friends to….humanity."

Kagome scoffed, "Must be nice."

"Believe it or not, I've been thinkin' about how I was going to deal with losing you in 60 or so years since I saw you at that party. I was going to have to watch another friend die, someone I considered my mother. I had already lost you once. To do it again might've been too painful," he admitted.

Kagome hadn't thought about that. The people they lost up to this point besides pack. How many friends did they have to bury after Sango and Miroku? And here she was, moping at the possibility of a long life. She felt stupid and arrogant.

"I'm sorry. I guess I'm not the only one dealing with you entering my life again."

"Goes both ways, ma."

She smiled and he took a deep breath. "Is there something going on with you?" she asked.

"The anniversary of Rin's….passing is in a few weeks."

Kagome wrapped her arm around him instinctively, as if it would protect him from the pain he held inside. It was all she could do. Her son who she never had the chance to raise was grown and experiencing a pain she knew so well. What kind of mother was she?

"Do you normally do anything for her?"

Shippo shook his head, "Think of her, tell her I love and miss her."

"Sessh told me about the vacation home you guys have out west. Maybe you could go out there. Find some clarity."

Shippo gave a knowing smile. One that acknowledged the place she mentioned with fondness and bittersweet memories with his Rin. He wondered if she had finally found out about InuYasha's final resting place.

"Oh, did he? We haven't been there in a long time. I know he goes though, to keep it clean and make sure the shrubbery doesn't over grow. He might've hired someone to take care of it though."

"Maybe we all need some time away." Kagome leaned back and considered the notion seriously. With work in full swing and school just starting, there's no way she could take off now. She would find a way. Kagome wondered how Sesshomaru coped, if at all.

She almost forgot what it was like without them in her life. Their presence now eclipsed the emptiness that was the last 6 years of her life. The more she learned about these two daiyoukai, the more she wanted to imbed herself in their lives. Take care of them. Love them.

She thought of Sesshomaru and wondered what he'd think of that. And then thought about last week when he came over for dinner, and they drunk beer and cuddled. She remembered waking up thinking it was a dream but he had left a poem for her on the mirror by the front door. She mentally reminded herself to ask where it came from. She hadn't found it on the internet when she searched.

"Does Sesshomaru have …anyone?"

"He's too focused on pack and Council to really date. He did date his assistant for a few months but then, her father murdered another youkai. Broke it off before they reached their decision."

"Why?"

"As a member of the Council, if they had let him off easy it would look like Sesshomaru had influenced their decision because of his daughter. If he is anything, he is loyal to the pack, but the Council represents something bigger. It's about survival. I think that's why InuYasha stayed away for so long. He didn't want to sacrifice love or pack for the Council."

"Why would he have to do that?"

"His first mate was a human, the twins' mother. But he fell in love again after she died during child birth. He wanted to mate again. It is almost impossible to do so. But he searched for ways all over. The Council thought what he was doing was…irresponsible."

"What did you think?"

"I could never love anyone like I loved Rin. The mating process joins two life forces together to be one. If your mate dies then that piece of you goes with them. You can't get it back. To try and mate again would take something that's already not whole and splitting it again," he said.

"So, he risked everything in order to mate again?"

"Might've been the reason why he died so quickly. Even in his human form he would have a decent ability to heal. Some think that his youki was weakened from trying to mate again which caused him to get so sick during the new moon."

Kagome chewed her lip thoughtfully. She was glad to hear that InuYasha had fought for something he believed in. But what was it worth at the cost of your life? Was love really worth all of that? She supposed she couldn't judge him. She didn't really know what she was thinking when she let Sesshomaru sleep in her bed the other night. Nothing happened but it felt nice to be held by someone who would protect her. Someone who maybe even loved her and not necessarily in a romantic way.

She considered her own feelings about Sesshomaru. Would he defy the Council for her? Would he mate her if she revealed what she thought she was feeling for him? Is that even what she wanted? All she really knew for sure was that she enjoyed being around him. She hadn't felt at ease with anyone like that since her time hunting the jewel shard.

Kagome and Shippo sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes. Autumn was picking up quickly. The leaves were turning and littering the courtyard of the museum. It was a sight Kagome hadn't appreciated in a long time. She hadn't taken in nature since her time in the _Sengoku Jidai_ when it was all around her.

Shippo began to wrap up the left overs. "Let's go out next week."

"What like one of your dates?" she teased.

He rolled his eyes, "No. Like mother and son. Besides, I'd rather not get my head cut off by – nevermind. Just come with me to this wedding. I'd really like for you to meet some people."

Kagome's anxiety spiked at the idea. Weddings were social cluster bombs. Things she tried to stay away from but if it meant something to Shippo she'd bare it.

He gave a childish grin and Kagome could feel his youki settle. Kagome thanked him for the lunch and remembered what was waiting for her back in the storage room.

"Hey," she began, "You wouldn't know about a mysterious donation of a weapon to my museum belonging to one of our friends, would you?"

"Oh?" his voice was a pitch higher than normal, "That's interesting. I thought Sesshomaru kept the swords in his office."

"Not a sword….a—"

Before she could finish, Shippo had kissed her on the cheek and made an excuse to run off. Something about the Council.

"You can't run forever!" she called out to the kitsune. She would get him next time.

Back in her office, Kagome sat and reached in her bag where her school books were. She pulled out the one with the paper cover and began to read Sesshomaru's suggestion, _The Time Traveler's Wife._ She read until the museum closed, she'd catch up on her work another day.

 **A/N: Review please.**


	14. Chapter 14

**American Touch Tag Day**

Kagome sat on a blanket in the grass reading her book for class while her friends blew off some excess youki playing a less brutal version of American football in Shinjuku Park. It was Shippo and Sesshomaru versus Kouga, and Ginta with Hakkaku as the referee. It was early on a Sunday morning so the only people out were the everyday joggers and them. It was the best time for them to run at half speed and use half their strength without humans catching wind of their abilities.

Kagome didn't even try to keep up with them and focused on the assigned reading of poetry from the early 1800s. It was an elective class that Kagome was already sick of. She'd rather listen to Sesshomaru recite poetry to her. She did enjoy the crisp fall air. She always enjoyed pulling out her oversized sweaters so she could wear her thick leggings instead of pants. Occasionally, she would look up and see a blur of white, red and black. Her youkai friends had suddenly stopped, Shippo with the ball in his hand and a goofy grin on his face. She could practically see the testosterone flow between them.

Sesshomaru looked like he was enjoying himself. He was wearing a pair of loose pants and a dark fitted t-shirt and running shoes, everyone else wore something similar except that they wore shorts and her ookami friends ran bare foot.

"That's not fair!" Ginta called.

"No one said I couldn't use my fox magic." Shippo stuck his tongue out.

They all had stopped to argue about whether or not special abilities were within the rules.

"You're the only one who can make doubles of himself. It's an unfair advantage," Koga reasoned.

Sesshomaru chimed in cooly for his teammate, "It was not established at the beginning of the game that he could not."

"You can't use that excuse everytime," Koga fumed, squeezing the ball in his hand.

"All you wolves do is whine," Shippo taunted, "Why don't you just catch me?" He threw a devilish grin at Sesshomaru. He knew it was only to keep Koga from concentrating on touching him. But it was working and they were winning by a mile.

"Hakkaku say something! You're the damn referee," Koga yelled.

"He has a point," he said sheepishly.

"It's that," Sesshomaru said as he lifted his hand and green acid smoked from his skin, "Or this."

Ginta swallowed the lump in his throat at the sight of the deadly acid. Koga cursed and the game continued.

After the game was done, with Sesshomaru and Shippo retaining their lead and winning, they all sat and ate the breakfast Kagome packed. They mostly ate in silence, except when Koga would throw a grape at Shippo out of spite. Kagome had counted 3 or 4 almost food fights she had to squash between them.

"I didn't make this food for you to waste it on throwing it at each other."

It wasn't that she spent most of last night preparing it, or that she had swallowed her pride and used the credit card that Sesshomaru provided for any expenses she may need, but that they would moan and groan about who would clean it up until Kagome finally did.

"I hope to see the lot of you at the ceremony next week," Kouga said, mostly to Kagome.

"Shippo and I might get there late, I have to work the night before. But we will definitely be there."

"You can come the night before and we'll put you in one of the rooms. I'm sure we have room."

Kagome chewed thoughtfully and swallowed, "I'd be too tired to make the drive."

"You wouldn't mind leaving a little later would you, big guy?"

Sesshomaru thought about the Council meeting he had at the estate prior to getting the preparations together. He had never considered skipping a Council meeting before Koga had inadvertently suggested it.

"I have some things to do in the morning before I set off with Shippo, so there's no need to inconvenience Sesshomaru." She smiled but her tone set a finality to the issue. Koga immediately backed off. Sesshomaru deflated as all the possibilities of a long drive alone with Kagome was squashed instantly.

Ginta and Hakkaku argued about who would dance with Kagome first. Koga rolled his eyes.

"I'll dance with both of you!" Kagome promised the boys.

"Don't you have work in a bit?" Shippo asked with a mouth full of onigiri.

Kagome checked her phone and panicked, "Oh shoot! I'm gonna be so late." Kagome began to back her things. Nakamura was a slave driver and there was so much paperwork and scheduling to do before the premier of their new exhibit. She decided to go in an extra day to get things in motion. She didn't want to fall back on her work so she took every opportunity she could to read ahead for her classes. Shippo promised to pack up and drop off her tupperware as she hastily packed her books and notepad.

Sesshomaru went to stand but Koga was a bit quicker, "I'll drop you off Kagome."

"It's okay, Koga. I have my bike."

"You'll never make it in time. Besides, that thing can't stop an oncoming car in the morning traffic," he warned.

"It's Sunday," she reasoned.

"The truth still stands. Car beats bike everytime," he grinned.

Kagome bit her lip considering her options. She could take her bike and get to work late enough to be noticeable and get a tongue lashing from Mr. Nakamura. Or have Koga take her and give her ample time to grab a cappuccino at the museum café and make it to her desk with time to spare.

"I guess I'll take my chances with you" she said, teasingly.

"You honor me," he said, placing a hand to his heart dramatically. Koga had his shoes on in seconds and they both started walking toward the park's entrance. Kagome poked him square on the arm, "Be careful before I tell Ayame."

Koga put his hands up in defeat. He had not doubt Kagome would tell Ayame of his antics. Before they were too far from the group she ran back to Sesshomaru and asked if he could, somehow, get her bike back to her apartment.

"It will be taken care of."

Kagome pressed her forehead to Sesshomaru's and quickly licked Shippo's who cried out in protest.

"Gross!" He exclaimed. Kagome gave a big smile and caught back up with Koga who was looking on curiously. The duo made their way toward the exit of the park. Shippo wiped his forehead and leaned over and whispered, "He must have a death wish."

"Kagome will do what is necessary if he steps out of line."

"Not talkin' about Kagome."

Sesshomaru looked at Shippo wide eyed from the implications of that statement. He'd forgotten how keen the kitsune's instincts were. The young daiyoukai was coming into his tails very nicely. That didn't mean he had to admit to anything.

"Hn."

Without a fifth man for a referee, the group decided to call it a day. Hakkaku and Ginta headed to the south entrance while Shippo and Sesshomaru walked toward the north one where Kagome and Kouga exited.

"Maybe you should show her your mad car stopping skills," Shippo insisted.

"In a normal circumstance, I would not ask you about advice on courting."

Shippo snorted, "I'm the king of flirting. Courting….I haven't done that in a long time. But if you want my advice…"

Sesshomaru looked over at Shippo who was only a few inches shorter than him.

"I'd hop to it before it's too late."

"Is that your consent?"

"Consent? Who am I to challenge the Alpha?"

"As a male of age, you have that right. Even if it's only to keep me away from her."

Shippo rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "Nah. She can handle you. There's bit of a hurdle you have to get over though."

"Hn."

Sesshomaru knew this hurdle very well. Even in death, his brother seemed to haunt and annoy him. Sesshomaru was familiar with the unorthodox love triangle with the undead priestess but held no judgment. Who was he to assume what lied in the hearts of those three? After they had gotten close, InuYasha had explained the whole thing to him. Him and Kikyo's history, his and Kagome's and the connection between the two females. If she wasn't over that, it would be near impossible to engage in anything more than what they had now. He'd have to tread carefully with her, it was relatively fresh wound on her end.

"It won't be easy," Shippo warned.

His demon, below the surface of his youkai blood, salivated at the idea of the hunt. Kagome was his prize, he just had to be a good enough hunter to catch her. There was no rush though, the best catches were worth the wait. If anything, patience was like breathing to him. He'd waited five hundred years already, a few more months wouldn't make a difference.

Sesshomaru texted his assistant to meet him at the park with a big enough car to take Kagome's bike to her apartment. Sesshomaru's beast practically purred at the prospect of being able to assert his feelings to her. _It would be a appropriate to approach her at the mating ceremony when we are alone._

 **A/N: Lots of things are gonna be in the next couple of chapters. Plus a surprise treat for you guys for reviewing.**


	15. Chapter 15

**National Family(Pack) Day**

Shippo had told her to wear something nice yet comfortable for the ride. Apparently, it was going to be a day trip further north for the wedding and Sesshomaru was going ahead of them for the dress rehearsal and an important Council meeting. The wedding would be on the main estate of the Ookami tribe, where Koga was their leader. It was his son's wedding, Kotan.

She was regretting putting on the polka dot dress that her mother insisted would be appropriate for the event when they got there. Most of the guest were youkai who didn't have their concealment spells up. Beautiful youkai of all origins dressed in elaborate outfits littered the courtyard of the vast estate that seem to mix western architecture with traditional Japanese culture. The screen doors, normally made of paper, were made of glass. Dark colored stone and wood decorated the outside of the main area but Kagome could hear the thunk of a _shishi odishi_ somewhere close by. This place was doing everything she hadn't thought possible; entwining the past with the present where one hadn't eclipsed the other.

Leaving that thought behind she focused on the attire of the other guests. The female youkai were draped in long and colorful kimonos that were thick enough for the Autumn weather, not that it affected them as much as it did Kagome. The males were dressed in simple yukatas with decorative obis that matched their female counterparts. Some held insignias for different clans but the alliances were obvious in the way some of the youkai huddled up together and spoke casually with one another.

But there were two women with long silvery white hair talking to an older tanuki youkai at the bottom of the steps leading to what Kagome could only assume where the ceremony would take place. They had crescent moon symbols on their obis and their kimonos were a deep crimson with gold trimming. The crescent moon matching their pale skin.

One turned around and smiled brightly at Kagome and Shippo as a chauffer whisked the car away. The other girl, her hair had several blue streaks that were braided down her back, turned around as well. Her eyes widened when she saw them but waited for the couple to approach.

"We were expecting you with Sessho-sama, Shippo-kun," one of the girls said, her voice was soft and teasing.

"I had to bring the newest member of our pack and she had work until yesterday. Kagome, this is Botan and Yuki, InuYasha's twin daughters."

Botan, the one who had already spoken, gave a small curtsey and her half blue haired twin, Yuki, rushed to Shippo and hugged him tightly. They spoke in small voices and Botan smiled, "You are as powerful as my father said you were. I don't know if you noticed but everyone here is trying to figure out who you are." There was a soft gleam in her eyes that made Kagome think that maybe tis daughter had gotten some of the good parts of her father, who was warm and nice when he wanted to be.

Kagome was taken aback by her observation though. At first glance, the group of youkai seemed to not even notice her. But now that she looked at them, they did all have wide eyes amidst their side glances of her. She had thought it was because of her dress but it did make more sense that it was because of the holy power harnessed within her. That made Kagome's back straighten and her chin angle up.

"Show strength. It may save you from any awkward encounters," Botan said.

"You look like your father," Kagome said, "You both do." The twins both had InuYasha's golden eyes and silver hair, but their mannerisms were their own. She could sense a bit of InuYasha in the other. If Kagome had to guess, this sister was the oldest twin and probably took after their mother in the soft slope of their nose and the human ears and nails.

Unlike the other youkai here, Botan was not afraid of Kagome. If the stories her father had told them as little girls were true, Kagome would be their greatest ally.

"Yuki," Botan called, "Don't be so rude. Our father's ally stands before us and you cling to Shippo like a pup."

Yuki gave a big sigh and bowed her headed toward Kagome. Kagome gave a quick lap at her forehead and Yuki looked up bewildered. Shippo suppressed his giggles behind a strategic cough. Botan looked on amused. Yuki wiped her forehead.

"What's wrong?" Kagome asked.

"Most of us don't do the traditional greetings. 'Hello' or a small bow usually suffices," Botan informed.

Kagome's cheeks turned red from embarrassment. Sesshomaru had forgotten to mention that part. The group shared a quiet laugh among themselves at Kagome's expense and made their way into the house for the beginning of the ceremony.

The ceremony wasn't anything like that of a Shinto based wedding like Kagome knew. The room was as large as the grounds of Kagome's family shrine with a low ceiling and tatami mating that outlined a walkway that lead to an elevated floor with twelve dark brown _zabuton_ cushions placed across the platform. The rest of the floor had dusty gold _zabutons_ for the guest. Kagome began to feel out of place in the extravagance of the estate and its other guest when a thin, beautiful youkai approached the group. She had a purple thunder bolt shape on each cheek and a purple crescent moon on her forehead. Her face was all sharp angles and a glare similar to what she remembered of Sesshomaru 500 years ago. There seemed to be no softness in this woman besides the fluffy white fur drape across her petite shoulders. She didn't stand too much taller than Kagome or the twins but she commanded the air around her. If she had to guess, this was Sesshomaru's mother. The resemblance couldn't be coincidental.

Shippo's head dipped slightly at her, "My Lady."

"Grandmother," the twins acknowledged in unison with a slight traditional bow.

Kagome followed suit as the Lady of the West's critical eye assessed the newest additional to her son's pack.

"Hmm, did my son not tell our little Miko of the dress code?" She looked to Shippo.

' _Our little Miko?'_

Shippo cleared his throat, "I bought Kagome clothes to change into."

Kagome's head whipped to Shippo. He hadn't mentioned anything about a change of clothes. But then again, he wasn't dressed like everyone else either. He hadn't turned to acknowledge her glare though.

Sesshomaru's mother stepped closer to Kagome and said, "I have been wanting to meet the famous Shikon Miko. It was quite the mystery how you disappeared. I guess there are things I still do not know about this world. Come, you will dress in my room."

Sesshomaru's mother guided Kagome towards a set of stairs in a nearby corridor. The twins followed as she called for Shippo to have Kagome's clothes sent to her room. Before she knew it, she was half naked in front of three beautiful women. She felt self-conscious but the three of them began to talk as Yuki brushed her hair, Botan folded her dress and Sesshomaru's mother sat in a chair looking on.

The knock on the door brought a deep magenta kimono with a dark blue obi. Sakura petals danced across the bottom and a crescent moon decorated the front of the obi. Once they got her into the kimono comfortably, Botan began to braid and pin her hair out of her face. Being yanked and pulled between the twins made Kagome exhausted.

"I don't mean to be a bother to you. If I had known I would've came dressed already."

"Nonsense. I would not want to miss the chance to get you away from the nosey kitsune and my infuriating son," Sesshomaru's mother held a slight amusement in her voice.

"This color suits you," Botan said as she pinned another lock of Kagome's hair strategically.

Kagome blushed, "You guys really go above and beyond for these kinds of occasions."

Sesshomaru's mother took a deep breath, "It is rare that two full blooded demons come together these days. Their pups will be the first full blooded youkai born in almost two centuries."

"They are expecting already?"

"I would imagine," she said matter of factly.

"We don't need more smelly wolves," Yuki chimed in as she braided a lock of her grandmother's hair.

"Yuki," Botan began, "It doesn't matter what it is. You and I may be the ones to usher these pups into the world." Yuki huffed at her sister's words.

"So, you are like midwives?" Kagome asked curiously.

"Yuki and Botan are apart of an exclusive and talented band of women who help the modern youkai women give birth," Sesshomaru's mother interjected.

"Our grandmother put us under the protection of a global human coven sworn to keep the secret of the youkai as long as they were able to do what their ancestors did before them," Botan continued.

"Which means we spend a lot time soaked in blood and other bodily fluids," Yuki added.

"Your father would agree that he had that misfortune for other reasons," Kagome teased.

The twins nodded but Botan spoke, "He spoke a lot about you. We've been wanting to meet you since Shippo said Sesshomaru found you."

"The boys talk about you two very fondly. I didn't imagine that you guys were apart for long periods of time."

"Usually only during the mating season in North American then we're back here," Botan assured.

Another knock at the door made the women in the room turn their heads. Sesshomaru's mother invited the person in. Sesshomaru came through the door looking like he did five hundred years ago but without his armor.

His eyes found Kagome sitting in front of the vanity, "I apologize for my absence when you arrived. We are still preparing."

"Oh?" A playful smile spread across his mother angular features. "And what of your nieces and mother?"

"Botan, Yuki."

Botan bowed to her uncle, the incline of her head hiding the flush that suddenly came to her cheeks. Yuki smiled, "Hey, Uncle Sessh!"

Sesshomaru simply inclined his head towards his mother. Something sounding like "insolent pup" came from her direction. But he hadn't bother to challenge her on it. His eyes glazed over the image of Kagome dressed in the symbol of his house. Kagome looked away at the intensity of his gaze.

"You may go now. Your precious mike is safe with me," his mother shooed.

He was hesitant to leave but he didn't want to invoke his mother's neurotic personality. If she wanted, she'd see his refusal to leave as a challenge against her. But he couldn't deny that of all the rooms Kagome was in this was the safest one. His mother wouldn't allow anyone to enter and harm anyone. He just didn't understand why she had taken it upon herself to offer Kagome protection. She must be after something that only Kagome could give her. His mother wasn't a warm and fuzzy human grandmother. She was a youkai with many political and personal agendas.

"Once the ceremony is over, I will come for you." There was finality in his voice that rung through the air even after he secured the door behind him.

"My son seems to think I am a danger to you. What would you say Kagome?"

"Uhh…I don't think I know you well enough to make that judgement."

"I am sure that you do not think that I would strike you in front of my dear granddaughters."

"There are many ways to hurt people that don't involve physical harm," Kagome watched her reflection through the mirror. If Sesshomaru thought she should be cautious around her then, that's what she would do.

"Smart girl. But I don't _want_ to hurt you." Kagome hadn't missed the implication of the statement.

A howl was heard throughout the estate. "Koga is so dramatic," Yuki huffed.

"Come, Kagome. We will sit together. Grandmother will need to be there to offer her consent of the union," Botan finished Kagome's hair and lead her to the main room where the guest began to sit and wait for the pair to be officially mated under the Council's authority.

Sesshomaru's mother trialed behind them at her own pace, "No need to rush girls. They cannot start without me."

 **I know there's so many new characters to take in. Botan and Yuki' names literally mean "snow blossom" when you put them together. Chapters that get to know them and my rendition of Sesshomaru's mother are in the works. And a bonus chapter, as soon as I finish editing.**


	16. Chapter 16

**I'm sure you weren't expecting this. Enjoy!**

 **Family (Pack) Day (continued)**

The ceremony was all wolf howls and pride and tradition with a little sake mixed in. This was an important day for youkai so they didn't hold back on anything. There was a mixture of cooked and uncooked meats for the guest to enjoy. Decadent dishes Kagome hadn't heard of before. Of course, she had Yuki and Botan to guide her through the platters so she wouldn't accidentally eat something detrimental to her human disposition.

"Try to stay away from that plate over there," Yuki warned. Servants were bringing food over to their small table in abundance.

"Why?" Kagome asked.

"It's filled with aphrodisiacs. Horrible tasting stuff but good for a night of rutting. I'm sure the happy couple has plenty of it in their system by now," Shippo chimed in with a sly smirk sitting down next to Yuki. He was dressed in a yukata similar to his hair color. It made his green eyes much greener. A feature Kagome was sure Yuki was appreciating.

"And, where were you?" Kagome asked intrigued. She had saw Sesshomaru beside his mother who had given her authorial blessing over the union.

"Getting the bed chambers ready for the happy couple. We're hoping for plenty of pups."

Kagome blushed, "They're not gonna…."

"It's far enough away that _you_ won't hear, but the rest of us will have to suffer through newlyweds rutting for the rest of the night."

Yuki groaned, "Stab me in the ears already."

Botan chimed in, "Isn't it romantic though?"

Yuki and Shippo looked at each other and laughed at Botan's romantic nature. Kagome spotted a tall silver headed demon march towards them. Music seemed like it was playing in every corner of the room, the food tables were assigned to each group of guests with their own servants to bring them sake and food. Sesshomaru had joined them just after Shippo had and sat between Botan and Kagome with his arms tucked into his sleeves.

"Sessho-sama, try this," Botan urged offering him a piece of rare raw meat.

Sesshomaru's mouth didn't flinch to open his mouth and Kagome giggled. "Yea, _Sessho-sama_ , try it."

He mustered up his best glare to warn off the gesture but his niece must have gained some confidence from her new human pack mate. He could tell Kagome was trying her hardest to hold in a fit of giggles at the daiyoukai's expense. And for that he was grateful so, he quickly took the bite so that no others around could see.

On the far side of the room, his mother smiled devilishly at the sight. The Miko was doing curious things to her son's disposition. There was something among the unorthodox packmates that made them the center of attention. She already knew bringing InuYasha's daughters would cause many to approach talk under their breaths about her. But it seems like the Miko was taking all the attention along with how long it'll take the mated couple to rush to their bed chambers.

Kagome found herself alone when her pack mates separated off into pairs. Yuki took Shippo to the gardens. Botan took Sesshomaru to another table to introduce her to important youkai from the Council. Kagome was left to decipher what she could and couldn't eat until a familiar face join her.

"Poor Miko. How did you end up without your packmates? Shame on them to leave you in a room full of hungry youkai." Sesshomaru's mother sat opposite of her and threw a piece of meat unceremoniously in her mouth. Kagome pulsed her reiki out defensively, "I can take care of myself."

Seshomaru's mother was impressed with her forwardness. But it would take more than that to intimidate the mate of the great Inu No Taisho.

"I haven't eaten such delicacies in such a long time. Tell me, little miko, have you had the privilege of consuming _fugu_?" She beckoned a young dark-haired youkai and whispered something in his ear.

"Uhh, aren't they poisonous?"

Seshomaru's mother beamed, "Yes! To humans, of course. Beings like me eat it like it's chicken. It is my favorite thing."

It wasn't long before the same dark-haired youkai came back with a platter of fugu and sat it in the middle of the table.

"Why don't we play a game, little Miko?"

"My name is Kagome," she said sternly, yet eyeing the fugu on the platter wearily. The words seeming bitter and vaguely familiar in her mouth.

"Kagome," She said every syllable slowly, "Let's play a game of Russian roulette. There are several pieces of fugu and another fish that is only poisonous to me on this platter. Get through this game and I won't tell my son that you hold a very dear affection for him that you've been hiding from him."

Kagome held her guard, "Why would I play such a deadly game just to be at your mercy?"

"Well, if you continue on the road you are on now, you will usurp me as official Lady of the West by mating my son. I would like to stay in my station for as long as possible."

Mating was the last thing on Kagome's mind. "I'm not planning on usurping anything let alone your throne to the West."

"I beg to differ. Play my game, Kagome."

"No."

A smiled curled at Sesshomaru's mother's lips, "Then I will kill Shippo, Botan, and Yuki."

Kagome's body went cold and rigid and she hoped Sesshomaru would look at her now. Maybe he would be able to read her face. But he was in deep conversation and there was no indication that he would be looking her way anytime soon.

"Okay."

"Ahh, so you do have loyalty to your pack. Even the two half-halflings that belong to your old lover that you only met today?"

Kagome stared at her, not realizing her reiki was coming out in waves, as she picked up her chopsticks ready to pick a piece of fish from the platter.

"There are fish here that are poisonous to me and you. The fugu that will send you to an early grave has a counterpart that will do the same to me," she explained.

Kagome wasn't sure why the Lady of the West would leave her throne to chance. If she truly wanted to get rid of her, she would kill her outright. But she would play along. Kagome nodded and thought of her chances at survival. She didn't know this woman very well but she couldn't risk getting anyone killed on a hunch. There was no way to call her bluff unless she took a bite anyway. Before she could decide, her foe took a piece from the platter and stuck it between her lips before swallowing.

"Mmm, fugu on the first try. Your turn, Kagome."

Kagome chewed her lip nervously. She picked up a piece of raw fish and put it in her mouth. If it was fugu she couldn't tell. There was no distinct tingling of the lips that so many dare devils had recounted in their experience. It tasted like ordinary fish.

Sesshomaru's mother began to laugh, "You amuse me, little Miko. None of these fish are poisonous."

Kagome's reiki spiked, "What? Why would you do that?"

Sesshomaru's mother shrugged, "It is interesting to see what humans are made of. You are made up of loyalty and fire. I like you"

Kagome gritted her teeth at the compliment. She didn't want to make a scene but it was too late. Everyone had noticed the holy power fill the room as she stood up to leave. Sesshomaru wasn't too far behind her as she stepped into the garden noticing the satisfied smile on his mother's face as he passed her.

The cool mid-afternoon had turned into a cold night. A light mist was in the air and Kagome found it helpful to calm her down.

"Is everything okay?" Sesshomaru's concerned voice made Kagome turn around abruptly. Kagome tripped over her own foot and Sesshomaru was in front of her in seconds. He helped her to stand as she shrugged off her abrupt spike in energy and escape from dinner.

"Are you sure everything is okay?"

Kagome gave a big sigh and held back her fury. "Your mother is evil."

Sesshomaru sighed, "Yes. I am sorry I left you alone, even for a second. What happened?" He looked at her hoping she could read the sincerity in his voice.

"She threatened to kill Shippo and the girls if I didn't play her little game of 'eat the fish or die'."

Kagome's reiki had billowed dangerously in the dinner hall and didn't want it to spike like that again. Now that he thought about it, his mother had taken the full force of it and was smiling. Either Kagome had held back considerably or his mother was saving face. He had to find a way to keep her calm. The holy vessel of the Shikon No Tama was releasing enough holy energy to make even him shudder.

"It was a mistake for you to come here," he admitted, sourly.

"No. I should've just walked away. I should've known she wouldn't do anything so dramatic." She said as she took a seat on the wooden lovers' bench. Kagome was getting tired of her day being dictated by youkai.

Sesshomaru sat beside her and grasped her hand firmly. "When it comes to my mother, one can never be sure when she is serious. She used your ignorance of her affection for the kitsune and the twins to test you it seems."

Kagome was getting a headache. But his hand clasped in hers' provided some comfort she hadn't felt moments before.

"My mother likes to play games and she is putting you in the middle of it. I will find revenge for you if you'll allow it."

"Don't kill her!"

"I will do something far worse." There was a smirk similar to his mother's across his lips. It made Kagome shuddered at the resemblance.

"But seriously, you are okay?"

Kagome nodded and rested her head against him. Her reiki was finally reigned in for the most part. But there was something he wanted to try.

"You still seem upset."

"It's a hard feeling to shake off when someone threatens you. I'm not use to it in this time."

"You are safe with me. Do not worry." Sesshomaru thought she looked beautiful and even more so in the symbol of his House. Though the old days were long gone, his pride could appreciate the gesture and he would have to thank whoever had supplied the obi. The deep blue kimono made her skin pale and iridescent in the moonlight.

Sesshomaru turned her head up gently with a clawed hand and angled her face towards his. Her doe-like eyes fluttered closed and he could hear her beat faster as she sucked in a deep breath. Her lips parted in anticipation as he went to press his own against her. A twig snapped in a nearby bush and Kagome looked away and went to throw a rock at the shaking foliage.

Yuki and Shippo yelled out and ran back in. "You peepin' toms are so gonna get it!" Their laughter could be heard somewhere between the dinning hall and the cicadas that had begun to sing while they were out in the garden.

Sesshomaru huffed but was surprised when Kagome sat back down and said, "Now where were we?"

In his hesitation, Kagome made the first move. First, she had pressed her forehead against his, then kissed his crescent moon softly. Her lips lingered there for a moment. Sesshomaru held back a whine when she replaced her lips with her fingers which then trailed down to the marks on his cheek. Sesshomaru inhaled a breath like a hiss and looked down at his human pack mate. Her mouth was slightly agape as she carefully caressed them. He grabbed her wrist, but he wasn't sure if it was to hold her back or himself.

"Are you-"

"Yes, now hush."

He released his grip and allowed his Miko to unravel his resolve. Her soft fingers began to become familiar with the pattern of his marks. His skin tingled since her power still lingered at the tips of her fingers. He'd have to remember that minute detail for another time. He basked in her affections until her voice broke through the growing hum of the cicadas.

"Don't get lazy now. Give me a poem."

"But you-"

Kagome eyed him seriously. Of all the women in his life, she was driving him absolutely nuts. But he obliged his Miko.

 _Courtship is found on_

 _The day's union, we have met_

 _In the den of wolves._

 **I guess things are getting serious now, huh?! Hope you enjoyed this chapter. More to come soon.**


	17. Chapter 17

**Noodle Day**

The adventurous weekend at the Ookami estate seemed like it had happened last year with all the work waiting for Kagome when she got home. A couple days back and she was more than caught up now. All it took was some meticulous focus and diligent work ethic that came so naturally to her, especially when it was for the things she loved. But there were times when Buyo or her friends caught her staring blankly as she thought about the garden with Sesshomaru. They hadn't even kissed but Kagome suspected that what happened was far more intimate than a kiss. They did stick close to each other for the rest of the weekend. She would've taken that kiss if it would quell the ache she felt in her fingers to touch him again.

She was having a bowl of ramen with Eri and Ayumi at their favorite ramen shop when they caught her doing just that.

"Earth to Kagome!" Eri called, waving a hand in front of Kagome's face. She blinked a few times and apologized to her friends.

"I know that look," Ayumi accused, "Who is the lucky fellow who's got you day dreamin' around your friends?"

Kagome rolled her eyes playfully but obliged, "You remember that guy I used to….'date' in high school?"

"Oh yea, InuYasha. Long hair, bad boy in red," Eri confirmed.

"Yeah. I'm…" _What am I doing?_ "His brother and I are- " _Are what? Not lovers._ "We've become…close this last weekend."

"His brother!?" Ayumi chided.

"This weekend?" Eri asked.

Kagome looked between her friends and confirmed, "This weekend." It was the safer question to answer. It didn't poke and prod at the thoughts that were already turning in her head since Friday evening.

"Oh, no you don't. His brother, Kagome? That's something I would expect of Eri."

Eri didn't bother to deny it. She admitted to being the more controversial of the three. Which made this development feel liberating. She wasn't the one Ayumi was berating for once for questionable judgement.

"You don't need to tell me but….I could listen to him recite haiku off the top of his head all day. And when I'm with him, I don't think about the past the way I use to."

 _My heart doesn't ache knowing that my friends were taken care of, either directly or indirectly by him._

Eri and Ayumi looked at each other knowingly. "So, this is serious?" Eri asked.

"I don't know. He doesn't mind that I like beer more than wine. He doesn't shove his money in my face. He takes care of his family," Kagome reasoned. A strange feeling in her gut made her believe that putting it on the table was more for her than for her friends. Eight months ago, she was ducking and dodging Hojo still. She had no intent on anything of the caliber she was sure to have with Sesshomaru.

"How are you always so lucky?" Eri scoffed.

"Don't be like that Eri. You know Kagome was not looking for this," Ayumi reasoned.

"Yet, it falls in her lap anyway," Eri slurped her ramen angrily.

Ayumi rolled her eyes and reassured Kagome that they would support her decision.

"How does InuYasha feel about this?" Ayumi asked.

Kagome shifted in her seat as her chopsticks swirled around the broth, "InuYasha passed away a few years ago."

"Oh, so it's open season on his _brother_?"

"Eri!"

"No," Eri had lost her appetite suddenly, "She is always the exception to the rule, isn't she? She never came to school but she graduates anyway. She gets into a great school with her crappy scores _and_ she gets her dream job. Now….she gets the guy of her dreams?"

Kagome hadn't known Eri felt this way. None of it was true though. She worked her butt off to graduate, and even harder to get into a good university, the same university Eri and Ayumi had been accepted into. But Eri had went to another university to follow some guy she dated a few times.

Eri yanked her coat on and threw some yen on the table to cover her meal. "I'm glad you're happy for her, Ayumi. But can't you see how unfair our lives are compared to hers. If I had the tiniest amount of luck you have, I'd be a little better off in life. But please, don't expect me to let you shove it in my face." Eri stormed out of the restaurant.

Ayumi tried to get Eri to sit down but there was no stopping her at this point. Kagome spoke first in the loaded silence Eri had left them behind in, "Do you think I have this "luck" she's talking about?"

Ayumi took a deep breath, "Kagome, your life has been a big mystery since you got sick and stopped coming to school weeks at a time. I really don't know enough to say its luck or exactly what you deserve. There's always this wall with you, like there's something you can't tell us."

"I wish I could," Kagome admitted.

"Eri will go on believing that you have immense luck unless you prove her otherwise. I can guess that there are some things about your past that you can't say lest you wish them to manifest in your present but…we're your friends. We hoped that we'd become the exception to that rule and that you trusted us enough."

Kagome opened her mouth to say something but decided against it. She knew it was the wrong decision when Ayumi began to get her things to leave.

"Shippo and InuYasha's brother can't be the only people who you can talk to about stuff. I'm always here for you. Eri will take some more convincing though. Text me?"

"I will," Kagome promised. Kagome took the bus home and began her walk from the bus stop to her building. She tucked her face into the collar of her coat and walked briskly. It was when the cars began to thin out on the street that she heard the footsteps behind her. She didn't think much of it until she felt a sinister youki poke at her.

Kagome's spine stiffened as she made the turn onto her street and began to walk faster. She didn't want to look back. Her reiki felt like it was being suppressed and her legs began to feel weak. It was like a heavy blanket wrapping around her. The lights and streets were beginning to get blurry until Kagome noticed the doorman of Sesshomaru's building.

The footsteps and reiki behind her gained a quicker pace towards her. There was a dark alley between the building before Sesshomaru's and his, Kagome didn't want to be caught where no one would see her try to fight off whoever was behind her. Whoever it was was trying to keep her from calling out but she found some strength to quickly pass the dark alley and reach Sesshomaru's building.

"Ms. Higurashi," the doorman caught her as she stumbled. "Are you okay?"

Kagome nodded as she dared to look behind her and there was no one there. But the sinister reiki clung to her like a thick mist now.

Kagome pushed her way into the building. "Ms. Higurashi, are you sure?"

"Yea…just need to get to the elevator." She wobbled her way to the elevator bank and pressed the button. The doorman helped her into the elevator and escorted her to Sesshomaru's floor.

Sesshomaru answered the door his golden eyes marked with concern when he saw Kagome in the doorman's arms.

"What happened?"

"I'm not sure, sir. She stumbled to the building," he answered quickly.

Kagome was transferred between the arms of the two men. Sesshomaru told the doorman something and locked the door behind him. He lifted Kagome in his arms and carried her up the stairs.

"Sesshomaru, I'm fine. I can walk home."

"Not until you tell me what happened."

Kagome thought she was strong enough to be on her own feet but she could barely hold her head up. Sesshomaru laid her on his bed. The room was a simple open room with only the railing a guard from the fall down to the living room. Windows lined the other walls of the room with light beige curtains that let some city light through enough to see that the bedding matched.

"Stay."

Kagome didn't move, and not because she didn't want to but whatever was suppressing her strength had some lasting effects. Sesshomaru came backwith with a glass of water and sat on the edge of the bed.

"What happened?"

Kagome sat up and told him. The more she told him, the darker and heavy his youki got. She wished for a moment that she could've made it home but she wouldn't feel safe by herself.

"I will have people check the area. You will stay with me until we find them and don't argue."

She didn't want to. It seemed the safest and most rational option. "I will need to bring some things over," she winced as she tried to sit up against the weight of the malicious youki still lingering over her.

"I will have Shippo get whatever things you need, just rest. Seems like what the Council has been dealing with has spilled onto you."

Kagome asked, "What exactly is that?"

"A Rouge. Someone outside the confines of the Council's radar," he said.

"What does that have to do with me?"

"Since you disappeared there have been many imitation jewels. Those made with dark power and sacrifice but never as powerful. Rogue's are still trying create the essence of the Shikon No Tama. The ceremony over the weekend may have brought out some of those youkai when you flexed your holy powers and word got around about who you were. Thanks to my mother."

Even in the future she couldn't escape the pull the jewel created with its immense power. Sesshomaru went to make some phone calls and Kagome could feel her world being pulled back into the past. Up until the ceremony she only had her foot half into their world. Now she had as much visibility as she did in the Sengoku period. They knew her face, knew her name, whose pack she belonged to.

Sesshomaru sat next to her again and took her hand. "When morning comes, there will be some changes. I have acquired some personal security for you when you are not with me or Shippo. At work and at school, there will be someone near you, always, if not me."

"Do most people who start dating move in together only a few days later?"

"Not many that I know. But, that can be put on hold until this is dealt with. I'm sure you have enough to deal with…with these changes. As Alpha, it's my duty to keep you safe."

"And as my suitor?"

"It is my desire to keep you both close and safe," he admitted.

She sighed, "Can I at least stay at my mother's on the weekend?"

"I am not allowed on those grounds unless you invite me."

"Better when I need a break from you," she teased, "No other youkai except Shippo is allowed on the shrine grounds, he'll keep an eye out for me."

Sesshomaru eyed her warily.

"Don't pout," She teased, "It's unfitting for a someone of your nature. Besides, I'm most safe from any youkai looking for me there. And I wont be a distraction for you and you, me."

The idea of living with Sesshomaru wasn't scary. Now that their relationship was changing it would allow her to get to know him better. But she didn't want to be like those girls who immediately moved in with their significant other and find out that they aren't compatible beyond the honeymoon stage. Her face flushed at all the awkward moments of walking in on each other naked and they hadn't even kissed yet. The whole situation gave her anxiety but whoever was after her now wasn't going to stop if they thought they could get the jewel from her.

"You think me dishonorable," he stated plainly.

"No!" she assured, squeezing his hand, "I just want to be able to focus on school work and the museum. Your apartment only has one bed. You can't sleep on the couch all the time. I'm not naïve, I know things happen."

"That is a mild inconvenience when compared to your safety."

"I know….just let me have this. I already have to figure out what to do with Buyo and basically uproot my life."

Sesshomaru didn't look as if he was about to let her have this. It took every fiber in his being to not go out now and hunt down the youkai who dared to threaten her. The irony wasn't lost on him. He didn't want to blindly run out and fight while leaving his companion unguarded as his father once did.

"Compromise," she argued. For that, he relented for it was something he used against her.

"I will escort you Friday and pick you up Sunday. And Shippo will stay with you all weekend. You don't go anywhere without him."

Kagome agreed. That was more than she thought she was gonna get. She was still reeling at the fact that she was almost attacked and she was tired. Her strength was coming back but the bed was comfortable. Sesshomaru let her rest and went downstairs to have a few words over the phone with his mother. Words he was going to make sure she didn't forget.

 **A/N: Read and Review. Thanks to everyone who has reviews thus far. I appreciate the feedback!**


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: *bows deeply* I know I missed like two weeks! But I'm back on track. Got caught up in my book I'm writing and classes and baby and other stuff! Forgive me and enjoy this chapter. As always, read and review.**

 **Take a Flight Day**

Kagome was nervous. Though they had been seeing a lot more of each other, they hadn't actually gone on a date. She went to her house to get dressed after her class so that it would seem like a real date.

She found a nice sweater dress in her closet and added some stockings and boots to complete her outfit. Before today, she wasn't sure how dressed up she should be. They had spent a lot of their nights in the same apartment but Sesshomaru kept himself in his study while Kagome found a comfortable spot on his couch with her laptop. They religiously convened for dinner and talked like they normally did and in the morning, he dropped her off at school.

Like he promised Kagome could sense youkai guards on the campus not too far away. And the days she went to work, there was always at least two close by. It wasn't as weird as she thought it would be. They did a good job of staying out of sight, so it was easy to forget they were there until she tuned into her reiki.

"What do you think?" she asked Buyo, as she scrutinized herself in the mirror. Buyo gave a soft mewl from his spot at the foot of the bed.

She went to the bathroom where her flat iron was heating up and looked through her small collection of make up for some eye liner. She applied a dark blue liner and made a few passes through her hair with the iron and decided she wouldn't over-do it.

Just as she was putting away her things, there was a knock on the door.

Sesshomaru stood on the other side looking as he normally did in slacks a comfortable polo shirt and a light jacket. What stood out were the yellow floor in his hand that matched his eyes so well.

"You look very nice, Kagome."

Kagome twirled her hair nervously, "Uhh, thanks." She took the flowers from him and smiled.

"Where are we going?" she asked, after inviting him in and going to the kitchen to look for something to put the flowers in.

"Somewhere close," he said, a hint of mischief in his voice.

Kagome found a small vase for the flowers and put them in with some water. "Since when have you been less than forthcoming?"

"Since I decided this would be a surprise," he called from the living room.

Kagome placed the flower on the small table where she usually ate her dinner in the living room. She wouldn't be doing much eating there anytime soon with her new living arrangements.

"I don't like surprises," she said warily.

"You will like this one." Kagome grabbed her purse and decided to let him convince her of his bold statement.

It wasn't until they received clearance to enter a private airport that Kagome was beginning to get worried.

"Are we getting on a plane?" she asked.

"Something like that," he said. They parked about 100 feet from a private jet that had its stairs down and a young, human flight attendant waiting to escort them.

Kagome could feel her stomach flip and knot up. This was not what she was expecting on a first date. Dinner and movie, yes. But this was extravagant. She had forgotten how much wealth Sesshomaru had accumulated over the years. This was the first time he had blatantly waved it around in front of her.

Sesshomaru helped her into the space of the plane and was taken aback by the lavishness of it all. Four plush seats face each on either side of the plane. There was soft beige carpet that matched much of the planes interior including the seats and decorative pillows.

"We're not seriously going anywhere on this right?" she asked.

"Kagome, do you trust me?"

It wasn't a question she had expected but she found herself answering honestly.

"Yes, I do."

"Then yes, we are. We're going to have dinner here and then, visit a place I think you will like."

Kagome nodded. The flight attendant instructed them to get comfortable and buckle up so that they could take off. Once they were in the air, she served them a light dinner and beer.

"You remembered," Kagome teased.

"Mm?"

"The beer," she pointed out.

"It is a hard thing to forget about you. Not many women enjoy beer. And it makes you suggestive."

"Don't you get any ideas, old dog." She pointed her fork at him for emphasis.

"You wound me, Kagome." And they both laughed. There was a mix of beer and the romantic atmosphere was enjoyable. It was a matter of minutes that Kagome had forgotten where they were. It helped that the flight attendant was attentive but made herself scarce most of the time.

"You must work very hard to afford such a luxury." The small plane had rumbled momentarily, reminding Kagome that they weren't on solid ground in a restaurant, like she had thought they would be.

"In the beginning, yes. You could never tell me back then that this is what the future would be. Who would have thought that not having wings would inspire them to create a way to fly? Humans are persistent creatures."

"That's all? Persistent?"

"They are courageous and adaptable. My kind is still stuck in the past while trying to live in the present. I envy the way you so easily move forward with your contentious world views."

"The advantage of a short life," Kagome said.

"I do not think humans are afraid of death. There is a certain drive within you that youkai do not possess. You strive to evolve and change. My father often said that youkai have reached their peak."

"Do you miss them?"

He understood who she meant, "Greatly. If not for the conversation but to be able to relate to someone. InuYasha had a unique perspective that helped me see humans differently. You helped, of course. If he hadn't met you, I don't think my life, as I know it, would be what it is now."

Kagome frowned, "I don't think so."

"You think that the jewel and my brother would've been better off without you."

Kagome set her glass down, "I just think that if it were anyone else, the same thing would've happened. The jewel doesn't make me special."

"You are right."

She hadn't expected that from him.

He continued, "I think it is the other way around. My brother told me that the jewel granted you a wish and then, you were gone. Not many people would choose the happiness and safety of their friends over anything else in the world."

Kagome looked out the window and thought of it that way for the first time. Taking the jewel with her so that youkai in her friends' time wouldn't be able to use it that same way Naraku used it didn't solve anything. It only stalled the problem. It was clear what her would-be assailant was calling to when he stalked her. The jewel would attract those with malicious intentions in any era. She had always thought that what she did was selfish by protecting her friends in the past without knowing for sure of any youkai in the future.

Sesshomaru placed his hand on hers on the table between them. She looked at him as he smiled, "We're almost there."

After de-boarding the private plane, they were escorted to a sleek, dark car where Sesshomaru drove them about 20 minutes on a dark road. They stopped at the bottom of stairs similar to the shrine back home and Kagome's curiosity started to peak.

"Are we at a shrine?"

Sesshomaru got out the car and opened her side to let her out onto the tough terrain.

"Something like that," he teased.

There was a tori gate framing the high stairs that was peeling in places but looked taken care of nonetheless. The stairs had a few cracks here and there but were very sturdy as they began to ascend them. Kagome couldn't remember any shrines being out this far. Her grandfather had told her of all the ones in their prefecture but Kagome wasn't even sure where she was. They could be on a different island for all she knew.

"Could you at least tell me what we're doing here?" she asked, slightly out of breath.

"Taking a step back in time," he said. Kagome was slightly annoyed that he wasn't even pretending to be out of breath. But she recanted the feeling, knowing that Sesshomaru never pretended for anyone. It was a trait she appreciated in him.

Once at the top, the small buildings were similar to her family's shrine. There was a small house in the northeast corner of the property, a well house, and the main _honden_ stood right in the center with smaller buildings surrounding it. There was an older woman sweeping the steps to one of the buildings.

"How come you are allowed here and not at my house?" she asked.

Sesshomaru began walking toward the woman who smiled at them, "I was invited here."

"Sesshomaru-sama, I thought I would never see you again."

"Kakori-sama, I apologize. Time runs differently for me and my kind," he said with a slight bow.

Kagome followed suite, " _Konbonwa_."

"Is this your friend you wrote to me about?" she asked, walking to Kagome to give her a hug.

Kagome was taken aback. The frail looking woman had a strong grip.

"Yes, she is _the_ one."

"Then, you both should follow me."

Kagome and Sesshomaru looked at each other as she led them to the sacred _honsen_ in the middle of the courtyard.

Even with the sky dimming, there was an ethereal beauty to the property. Being this late, Kagome didn't imagine there to be any patrons hanging around but there was a couple of people deep in prayer around the _honsen_.

Kakori allowed them into the home for the gods and lead them to a private viewing room where floor to ceiling scrolls hung illuminated by the dim light of candles. The familiar smell of incents filled the air and it made Kagome feel safe, like she was at home. It was a strange feeling but she supposed that's what happens when you grew up on a shrine.

"These are the sacred scrolls that tell of a great battle where humans and demons fought a great evil," Kakori said softly, "The evil was vanquished only because the two could get pass their differences and use each other's strengths in battle."

The scrolls didn't have words but drawings of her friends and even herself facing against a spider demon with a contorted face. The distinct monk robes, demon slayer gear, red of InuYasha's fire rat cloth, and her green skirt stood out against the _washi_ tugged at the corners of her eyes. Her friends hadn't gone unnoticed in history. This was the confirmation that they had made an impact, even if it was for a small shrine in a distant village.

Kagome took Sesshomaru's hand as he began to tell her the tale of the great battle in great detail. He had even seemed to remember the emotions of the group before and after the battle. He took great care to explain the way the girl with the green skirt had purified the jewel of legend and made the most selfless wish to protect her friends. Kakori added that she was remembered by the children of the time and even made a game in her namesake.

At the last scroll, the girl of the future stood alone with a light and her friends surrounding her much like the game "Kagome Kagome". The girl looked serene and happy in her role of 'world saver'. She admired the girl the artist had managed to depict her as.

"Ironically, the story does not have much of an ending since no one knows what happened to the young heroine," Sesshomaru said.

Kakori smiled, "Yes, it remains a mystery as to what fate befell the young woman. I imagine she is surrounded by many friends and a charming male who adores her."

Instantly, Kagome felt horrible for making this experience all about her. "I think the story is missing something," she said.

Kakori and Sesshomaru looked at her with similar looks; confused and intrigued.

"There was a young youkai lord who had made all of that possible. Without his strength and compassion, the group may not have succeeded in bringing peace to the world." Kagome gave him a knowing smile. She was grateful for him in many ways. This was a humbling experience for her.

"Ahh, yes. I would agree," Kakori said in very much the same way her grandfather would say things, "I shall leave you two to discuss such things. An old woman like me has seen too much of history to interject on such an old tale."

Leaving the two in the candle light room among the scrolls that hung like tapestries made Kagome nervous.

"I'm not sure there is a way I can thank you…for this." She gestured to the scrolls.

"I do not require it. I know you care for old things…"

"Like you?"

"I can only hope."

"I do," she admitted.

Something like a purr vibrated through him. It was a sound of contentment. He had done what he set out to do. The first date was a success. He squeezed her hand gently. He couldn't ask for more but he was fortunate that Kagome was a giving person. So, when she tip toed to kiss him, he was transported to the moment in the garden where he had tried to kiss her. She was soft in his arms, lithe and strong. Her power stirred to the surface giving the kiss a jolt of electricity and a hint of danger.

Kagome could faintly feel the effects of the beer, which she gave credit to for the courage it took her to kiss Sesshomaru. It may have been all the emotions the last twenty minutes had stirred up as well. But she knew she had done something right when Sesshomaru encased her in his long arms and kissed her back. He hadn't overpowered her but matched her kiss with his own. There wasn't a sense of give and take that Kagome associated with kissing. She felt as if she was sharing the kiss with him. The same way they had shared a past, one not overwhelming the other.


	19. Chapter 19

**Roommate (Packmate) Appreciation Day**

With Halloween around the corner, Kagome was getting more and more into festivities. She bought a pumpkin to carve out with Sesshomaru and started texting her mom for her best seasonal recipes. Though she hadn't bought a costume yet she made a shopping date with Shippo to find whatever was left in the stores. She hadn't seen him since the ceremony a few weeks ago and she had a few pressing questions for him.

She was waiting for him at a coffee shop close to the mall with a cup of hot chocolate to keep her warm. Shippo strolled in only a few minutes after she received her order in a light jacket and dark jeans. He would look like the average undergrad student if you didn't know what to look for.

The men of her pack seemed to like to keep their manes in a simple plait over their shoulder and preferred to dress light despite the weather getting cooler. Just this morning she had to go through Sesshomaru's closet and make him put on something warmer when he calmly reminded her that he didn't feel the cold like humans. With a stern huff and the jacket already being shoved into his face, he decided he would concede this battle and fight another day.

Shippo spotted her instantly and his long legs carried him to her in a few strides.

"You look nice," he said.

Kagome looked down at her leggings and tee and wondered if he was being sarcastic.

"Alpha-sama must be treating you very well."

She blushed and almost dropped her cup. She thanked goodness for all the archery training that gave her nimble fingers and combated her clumsiness.

"Not as well as you were treating Yuki-san in the garden. How are the girls by the way?"

"They are good. They'll be here in December. She wanted to talk to me about a private matter. I know better than to get involved with the spawn of InuYasha. I don't have a death wish from beyond the grave."

The headed out the café and started walking with traffic toward the mall.

"Didn't look like that to me," she said behind her cup.

"Yeah, well you were too busy makin' kissy face to notice anything," he teased.

Kagome rolled her eyes and changed the subject, "So, they'll be around for Christmas? I should get them something."

"Indeed," he gave a foxish grin, knowing he had won this time.

After looking through the sections of one store with Halloween costumes they made their way to another where Kagome made a few selections and Shippo waited outside as she tried them on.

"So, is the great Alpha-sama a romantic snob?" Shippo asked.

Kagome giggled, "He is….very considerate."

"How so?"

Kagome told him about him letting her keep the heat on, letting her sleep in his bed, making breakfast, picking her up from school and work even though some days he looked tired. All while not complaining about anything.

"He isn't the complaining type. How do you know that he absolutely hates something?"

"Well, the crease between his eyebrows will start to look like a disgruntled puppy," she admitted.

Shippo burst out laughing. Kagome stepped out in the first costume to see Shippo holding his stomach and barely holding back tears. She gave him a serious eye and he stopped immediately.

After trying on 5 different costumes Kagome left empty handed and hungry. Shippo treated her to something at the snack bar before continuing their conversation about Sesshomaru.

"You made quite the impression on him, I think."

Kagome raised a curious brow at him, "How so?"

"Well, he's practically dethroned his mother after the whole incident with your attacker. Council agreed that she had put you in danger by provoking you at the ceremony. It wasn't hard to place all the rumors of the returned Shikon Miko on the impressive amount of holy power she coerced out of you."

Kagome almost felt bad for her. But, then, remembered the awful trick she had played on her that had made her powers fill the room in the first place.

"But she's not like an outcast or anything, right?"

"No, she's still leader of the Council until she chooses a successor. He just pulled rank as the last male of their House and stripped her of all her duties. She still has plenty of influence in the Council but he's taken on the active role of leading them."

Kagome didn't imagine pack politics to be so complicated. It must've been why he'd been so exhausted lately since after their date. They hadn't gone on another but he had made sure she didn't feel alone when he would be away overnight by sending her texts and making sure she had her security detail nearby as always.

Kagome ate her dango contemplating a way to make sure he knows that she appreciates him. He wasn't an indulgent man so she would have to take care to keep an eye out for anything that he may favor. Shippo went on to tell her about work that'll keep him away for a few weeks in North America. And how he'd have to brush up on his English when going to meet with the packs there and help them find a human consult so that they will have a better relationship with the humans in the area. Kagome wished him luck and told him not to keep out of touch for too long.

After promising and a long pause, he said, "I think I want to go to the pack estate on Christmas, invite the twins and your family. Rin would've liked that if she was around."

"I'll make sure to get off for it. I wanna be there for you guys as much as possible. You've done so much for me."

He scoffed, "Don't sweat it. We take care of our own. You are one of us, Kagome. We weren't doing any favors by inviting you back where you belonged. I just think it's gross that the Alpha is diddling you."

Kaome gave Shippo a good smack in the head, "I'd slap subjugation beads on you in a heartbeat if I could." Kagome was dead serious, but Shippo laughed anyway.

When she got home, she turned the thermostat up and started looking through the kitchen for something to cook. She called down to the door man to ask if anyone could run to get his favorite beer and a bottle of wine as well. It was the man who had helped her that night and he had made short pleasantries with her before hanging up to complete her request.

Kagome then looked through the pantry and refrigerator for something to cook. They had been doing too much take out and she wanted to have a nice meal with him.

She found some nice skirt steak after setting the rice in the rice cooker. She marinated it in some fish sauce, soy and garlic before cutting up some vegetables to make a stir fry.

The front door opened and a familiar low youki filled the apartment. Kagome was humming and stirring when Sesshomaru made his way to the kitchen.

"You make it easy for me to imagine you like this everyday."

"Don't get spoiled, I'm not the best cook," she teased.

The skin under his eyes looked heavy but he had a genuine smile on his face when she turned around. The great youkai lord pulled his companion and packmate into a hug. Her reiki clutched him tightly in response as if looking to comfort him. If only he knew that this was enough for him. Reluctantly pulling away, he engaged her in small talk about her day and her time out with Shippo.

"Couldn't find anything. We're gonna try again tomorrow before I go to work."

"I'd like to join you."

Kagome quirked an eyebrow as she began to portion their plates. "What do we owe the honor?"

"No honor. I need to find a costume myself. Office party. I think stoic business man may be out of season this year."

"Shame. You'd pull it off so well." Kagome grabbed the knife and nicked her finger. In a moment, Sesshomaru was cradling the appendage and scrutinizing the severity. Suddenly, he had done something Kagome wasn't expecting. Something warm and wet encased her finger and she gasped. Sesshomaru was sucking her finger along with the thin line of blood that had escaped from the wound. Her stomach rolled as his tongue gently pressed against the pad of her finger.

The vibrant thrum of her blood filled him with electricity. He would've given it a second thought if he knew it would make his heart beat faster and his beast surge toward the surface. Judgment clouded by past few weeks work load, dealing with his mother and the Council, and trying his hardest not to impede on Kagome's personal space, he did what made the most sense to him. His saliva would heal the would most efficiently. He had forgotten the depth of her power.

Kagome stood like prey under his grip and the warmth of his mouth. The feeling made her insides roll and a part of her spring to life that she had suppressed a while ago. She watched Sesshomaru's marks appear, his concealment breaking. When he opened his eyes there was a tint of red in the golden pools. She used her free hand to touch his face and that's when he pulled away suddenly. Her finger felt oddly cold now that he had released her.

He had expected her to lash at him, curse at him for being so forward. But was met by a soft smiled. "That's one way to take care of it."

He caught her lips in a kiss then. The motion as sudden as his lips on her finger. Kagome could sense something unhinged about this one compared to the one at the shrine. He was trusting himself with her. A breathless battle began for dominance. His hand cradled the base of her skull and careened it backwards to accommodate his height as she pulled his body closer to him. Her hands explored his lowered back and she began to favor the twin dips that preceded the waist of his slacks.

Kagome knew that he was very careful with how he acted around her. Always testing the waters before he fully ever engaged. That included kissing. She appreciated how much he considered her feelings but she wished he wouldn't so much now. Though they had agreed on an exclusive relationship and were living together. Kagome wasn't as old fashioned as him. She knew that most of her friends moved in with their boyfriends though not because they were being hunted by youkai.

His tongue dipped between her lips pulling Kagome from any other thoughts she may have been having. She had never felt so grounded in the present. It was the same feeling she had when they first kissed in front of the scrolls that told the story of her past. She was used to experiencing things at a distance. Her lives separated by the well had taught her how to love the past while doing the bare minimum to keep up with her present.

She could only think about his warm skin and skilled lips against her. She felt the goose pimples across her skin from their energies colliding. He was anchoring her in all her senses. It might've been the longest she'd gone without thinking about the past. Her mind was blank but her body felt so vivid there in the kitchen kissing Sesshomaru. The power of his body obvious not only from his youki but the strength she appreciated in the tautness and definition of his back and abdomen.

He hadn't hesitated to expand the width of his free hand across her back to leverage against him. He could feel his primitive side peeking through in the way he held Kagome tightly against him; like a child possessive of his favorite toy. Though in full control, Sesshomaru had hardly a reason to allow the more primitive side of him to surface. It wasn't necessary because he hadn't needed to call for the ruthless part of him in a long time.

The knock on the door made Sesshomaru growl against Kagome's lips. She had forgotten about the beer and wine. She had expertly pried himself from his grip leaving a quick kiss to his neck as a promise to return. She would have to keep in mind to show her pack mate appreciation more often.


	20. Chapter 20

I know I'm a couple of weeks late. I'll be playing catch up in the next few days before my next class starts on Monday! Wish me luck.

 **Halloween**

Kagome hadn't imagined it would be exhausting to attend three parties that night. One for work, one for Sesshomaru and one for Shippo. She went to Shippo's party first to take pictures and a few shots at his insistence. Her cheeks were flushed and she was no longer feeling self-conscious about her costume in the car with Sesshomaru on the way to his office party.

"Three shots might have been too many," Kagome admitted.

"I think three shots look good on you," he teased.

"I think you look good on you."

Sesshomaru chuckled at her compliment. Normally she wasn't so forward. Her face and neck were red from the alcohol. She looked great in her costume. After they had gone to the store again to find costumes with no luck, Sesshomaru pull out his old digs that he wore during the _Sengoku_ period. He and Shippo thought she would look great in one of Rin's traditional garbs she never wore due to its extravagance. When she tried it on after Shippo dropped it off, Sesshomaru was speechless.

The material was a fine cotton complimented by a silk sash. It was similar to the kimonos the women of the high demon court a long time ago. Billowing sleeves and fitted, which he had his assistant take to a tailor to make it custom for the night. The bright tangerine color made her hair and eyes stand out even more against the midnight blue birds across the sash and bottom of the kimono. It was as if she had stepped from a different era, which was fitting for the girl who leapt through time on numerous occasions.

They fit together like two antique pieces. Sesshomaru wouldn't lie if someone asked if it gave him satisfaction that everyone would know that they were together. That's how it should be when on was with a youkai of his stature though he wouldn't admit to Kagome his primal instincts.

The drive to his office was short and sweet. The party was in the banquet hall on the ground floor where they normally held their annual function in the spring. Sesshomaru thought it looked like a high school prom. Cob web decorations and skeletons hung around the modern structures of the hall. There were tables lined with different candies dosed in alcohol and a make shift bar.

Sesshomaru spotted his mother's reiki among a group of shareholders, who noticed them instantly.

"Oh look, my son has come out with the rest of us to play dress up."

The group of men laughed but stopped immediately when they saw the look in his eyes. Sesshomaru's mother was dressed in a late Victorian dress with the signature rounded skirt and frilly sleeves. Kagome didn't understand how she could look so confident in a dress that pushed her breasts so far up and exposed.

"Be nice, my dear son," she teased, "And you brought your companion. Don't you two look dated. I suppose it'll due for photos."

Her words seemed to tell the opposite of what she really felt. She was looking at Kagome approvingly with what seemed to be a genuine smile on her face. Kagome wasn't going to try and understand the youkai's motives tonight.

"Photos?" Kagome looked to Sesshomaru who was suspicious of him mother naturally.

"Oh, we do it every year. My son doesn't know because he doesn't normally come to this particular function. I always thought it was beneath him."

One of the men Sesshomaru's mother had wrapped around her finger began to ask some questions about a new project in development and how it would affect them.

Kagome was expertly taken from under his nose by Sesshomaru's mother. She wrapped her arm around Kagome's and took her towards the table of overly sweet foods.

"You are quite formidable, miko."

Kagome was weary but she figured she wouldn't do anything to get her son even madder at her. So, she played along.

"If my enemies could speak, they would agree."

That made Sesshomaru's mother release a deep chuckle. "Oh, I'm sure. And it seems you have formed an even more formidable alliance with my son. Something I have found quite taxing."

She plucked something from the spread and offered it to Kagome who refused. She knew a thing or two about dancing with this particular youkai now. She wouldn't let her guard down.

"You must not take everything I say and do to heart. I am a woman of many wiles because I am a woman of many enemies. Unlike you, I have kept my enemies around to use them to gain leverage into this world. Humans are naturally gifted in being where they shouldn't be, so I have made it my task to use that against them."

"If you are talking about me I don't want to hear—"

"Kagome, it is rude to interrupt. What I am saying is that humans have become our allies whether we wanted them to or not. There have always been humans who are special."

"Like me?" Kagome asked.

"Not in the way you are thinking. Mikos are mostly extinct now and there are only a few practitioners. I am talking about the kind of women who can tame a youkai's heart. My late mate fell victim to such a woman." There was a longing look in her eyes that Kagome noticed. Kagome looked at Sesshomaru's mother as someone stopped them to talk to her briefly. Was this her way of apologizing, or acknowledging her relationship with her son?

She continued once the guest was gone, "You have gained my son's trust and so I will consider giving you mine. Like his father, he has always been a great judge of character despite his very human ideals."

Kagome understood that this was as close to an apology and acceptance that she would receive outright from Sesshomaru's mother.

Sesshomaru found her eyes from across the room and assured him that she was okay with a look of her own. She wanted to give Sesshomaru's mother a chance at being amicable, if possible.

"Please, tell me more about Inu No Taisho. InuYasha didn't know much about him when we were together. And Sesshomaru doesn't speak about him much."

Her golden eyes light up like moons. And then, suddenly, looked down in a deep longing. She clearly still held an affection for the late Inu No Taisho despite his betrayal. There was a vulnerability about her Kagome was sure most people couldn't fathom existed. Kagome grabbed her arm and they found a seat to talk about the white haired, golden eyed man in their lives and the ones who were no longer with them.

Nakamura couldn't be happier at Kagome's choice of costume. It was the perfect opportunity to talk about _Hiraikotsu_ to donors and patrons with the debut of the collection not too far way.

"How long have you been planning this Kagome? It's such a splendid idea," he could hardly contain himself.

Kagome was running on shots and two glasses of champagne. She regret skipping dinner in order to look good in the kimono. Thankfully, Sesshomaru showed up just then with a plate of cheese and crackers.

"Uhh, it seemed like a good opportunity to highlight our new collection."

The cheese wouldn't be enough to get her through the night but it would do for now. Sesshomaru was the perfect arm piece. Only speaking when needed (to save Kagome in some cases) and being agreeable among her gawking co-workers. She did notice a few times when males came over to tell her they liked her costume that his grip on her tightened slightly. It would be something that she would've noticed prior to the kiss they shared last week. The faint spike in youki that billowed around her was telling as well.

Nakamura found some donors to pander to which gave Kagome a moment to sit down. The buzz was really starting to get to her head.

"We can leave if you want," he offered knowingly.

"I didn't whisk you away from your work thing," she teased.

"Well, my mother was keeping you occupied. And I'm not throwing back libations on an empty stomach."

Kagome gave a big sigh of defeat. "Let me grab my books from the office and I'll make an excuse to leave."

Sesshomaru bent down to kiss his companion on the forehead who gave a big goofy smile.

"I'll be waiting," he promised.

Kagome watched him saunter out pass the attendess who looked on with a mix of envy and lust and decided she was a very lucky girl. She gave herself a few minutes to put together a half decent excuse to tell Nakamura about her sudden departure.

She finally got up and made the long walk to her office to retrieve her books she needed to read for class. Despite the office being on the other side of the museum, she could still hear the music.

What she didn't hear was the youkai following her to her office in the shadows of the museum. Kagome grabbed her books from her desk and a hand grabbed the back of her head and slammed it against the desk.

Kagome's body slumped over the table from the blow. Her assailant threw her over their shoulder and walked out with her through the receiving dock.

Sesshomaru was waiting for about twenty minutes before he left the car idling to go in and check on Kagome.

He grabbed Nakamura's attention and asked if he had seen Kagome.

"I haven't seen her since she was with you."

Sesshomaru asked where her office was and Nakamura directed him.

Sesshomaru's youki reached out to look for he but the offices were empty. There was residual reiki from her normal comings and goings though. There was also a burnt smelling youki in the air by the offices. Stepping into the office with the door wide open he saw droplets of dark liquid on the desk and floor. The book he had suggested to her along with other books he remembered her reading in the apartment were on the desk in a strewn manner.

He put the liquid to his nose and his youki flared. Someone had hurt Kagome and she was gone.


	21. Chapter 21

**This story has been getting alot of follows and favorites. I really appreciate your support. *bows* This was lightly edited so please be gentle in your reviews. Enjoy.**

 **Halloween (continued)**

There were very few things that set Sesshomaru off. Usually it was his mother that brought him to something close to rage. But this was different. His beast was howling and ravenous. Someone had taken their pack mate, their soon-to-be mate if anyone were to ask his beast.

Nakamura had called the police when he saw the blood and the state of her office. Sesshomaru had already called his mother, Shippo, and other Council members on the matter. His kind was already in the area looking for her.

Shippo made his way over to the museum to see if he could find any magic used after Sesshomaru mentioned the residual smell. He hadn't gotten pass the courtyard when he smelled it. It was a faint burnt smell, like charcoal.

"Someone used a concealment spell," he said.

Sesshomaru's ears perked, "Like ours?"

"No, like kitsune magic but darker. Usually charcoal is used in the ritual. It's a spell more about blending in than hiding."

"So, they would've known Kagome would be here tonight for the party."

"Possibly. She normally works Tuesdays. Maybe they hadn't thought there would be so many people here for a party or even you."

"This doesn't tell us where she is."

Shippo sighed, "No. But I can call around and ask some contacts if anyone purchased any charms or items for this kind of magic. We can track them down that way."

Sesshomaru growled. He could only track the smell to the loading docks in the rear of the museum and then it was gone. No tire marks, or even footprints.

The office smelled like her and the burnt smell. That's it.

"I'll start calling around and let you know."

Shippo could see the disappointment and worry in his Alpha's features. Prior to Kagome, he could never really tell what he was thinking, if he was mad, bored, or even happy. Kagome had provided the lens to really see his Alpha as more of a brother than anything.

"I want to find her, too. I want to turn the person who hurt her into charcoal myself. But you can't do anything that will hinder to the search," he told his Alpha. Shippo wanted to give him confidence in his abilities. Kitsune were natural trackers, Shippo was one of the best in his field.

Sesshomaru gave an annoyed look. "If this had been Rin..."

"It isn't Rin, and if it was I would feel the same as you do. But I'll find something and we'll take care of it together. Pack first."

Sesshomaru gave a curt nod and left the museum. He drove to his office to look at his notes on the Rogues they were tracking. He knew Shippo was right. They had nothing on who it could possibly be and he didn't want to stand around like the police and Nakamura waiting for something to show up. Kagome didn't have any enemies but whoever had been following her a few weeks ago had never been found. The only thing that made sense was that a Rogue got wind of Kagome and her powers. Not many knew about the jewel anymore but maybe the mating ceremony had stirred some daiyoukai's lust for the power it possessed. Their investigations on the Rogues were anything but limited. If any of them were known to use magic, he would start there and thoroughly make his way down the list.

* * *

Kagome stirred on a cold surface. Her vision blurry and a deafening headache that made her ears ring. There was a light above her that made her want to throw up from its brightness. Not much of the room was discernable from the wash white walls. It looked like a hospital room.

She tried to move but found her arms and legs strapped down and a dark figured in the corner with their back facing her. Instinctively, she willed her reiki to the surface but found nothing. This scared her more than the stranger who was keeping her here. She could still sense the jewel inside of her. Her holy protection was dormant but not gone. She could breathe a sigh of relief.

"Don't worry you can't get out of those. They're made from dragon skin," a soft female voice said. Her captor had turned around and walked over to her. Kagome knew her face. The sleekness of her high ponytail, her demeanor and posture were familiar. But something was different. Her cheeks and forehead had iridescent black and green scales, two large fangs jutting from her mouth, and blood red eyes. She didn't know daiyoukai could maintain the eyes without fulling transforming. _She must be powerful._

"Recognize me, yet?"

The voice gave her away. "Mizaki?" Kagome didn't understand why Sesshomaru's assistant had her tied up with her powers suppressed and a dark gleam in her eyes.

She gave a chuckle that sound like the rumble of a dark beast. "You must be curious."

Kagome bucked against the retraints, "Let me go."

"Or what? Your Alpha will come to save you? He will not find you here. But I will dump your remains at his doorstep when I am done with you."

"What do you want with me?"

Mizaki smiled, "The only thing that makes you worth anything." A long clawed nail ripped the side of Kagome's kimono exposing the old scar where the jewel had been ripped from her a long time ago. Mizaki cut the skin there and Kagome cried out.

"You're just a human without this, aren't you? The jewel is the only thing that gives you an ounce of desirability. I don't blame your Alpha for holding onto you so tightly. But once I have the jewel, I will bring back the chaos from before the Council and _he_ will not stop me."

Kagome suddenly remembered what Shippo had told her about a daiyokai being executed by the Council whose daughter had been dating Sesshomaru at the time. She hadn't realized that she was still Sesshomaru's assistant. "The Council killed your father."

Mizaki turned away to a small work table with various medical instruments. "Yes. And when you're dead I will come for the three responsible for his murder. The young Shippo you hold so dear who testified to "evidence" of my father's crime. The old Lady of the Forgotten West who judged my father as guilty. And Sesshomaru who executed my father where he stood."

Kagome tried her best to tug at the restraints. If Mizaki was planning what Kagome thought she was planning, she didn't have time to sit there and wait for her to carve her open.

"He killed someone. Another Daiyoukai. It is against your laws."

Mizaki turned around swiftly, slamming her hands against the metal slab that held her latest dissection project. "What do you know of our 'laws'? You only heard of the Council a few months ago. The Council is a merciless band of thugs and I will destroy them."

"You will invite chaos into the world if you use the jewel. Others who are far more driven by rage will try to kill you for its power."

"I don't want power, I was destruction."

"It won't bring your father back," Kagome reasoned.

"I am less interested in you talking and more interested in you screaming," Mizaki sung as she trailed a scalpel down Kagome's scar. Kagome could feel the sharp tool tear through her flesh and dig deep into her. She bit her lips to keep from screaming but it wasn't long until she was singing the song Mizaki had wanted to hear.

* * *

Sesshomaru's phone went off no more than an hour after he had reached his office. He answered quickly after seeing Shippo's name on the screen.

"What do you have?"

"Well, my contacts said there was a dragon daiyoukai digging around some Underground kitsune magic shops in the area looking for charcoal made from kitsune fire, dragon teeth and skin, and other rare items."

"Go on." Sesshomaru was impatient.

Shippo sighed, "From what it looks like there were several invocations of magic they are trying to deploy. The concealment one used at the museum, an old binding spell used for mikos, and a purging spell."

"Purge?"

Shippo hesitated for a moment, "I learned from an older kitsune, much older than you, it's used to kill daiyoukai. I'd rather not go into the details but these items were being asked for right before Kagome was attacked the first time."

"So, it's the same person."

"You might want to start looking around for a new assistant."

Shippo explained all of the possible coincidences, the possible explanations. Shippo had no doubt that the daiyoukai who had once been Sesshomaru's potential mate had his current potential mate captive for some reason. His contacts were very thorough and very clear about who was looking around for the sinister items in the Underground. But Sesshomaru was already grabbing _Bakusaiga_ from its spot on the wall above his brother's and father's swords. He would not wait around for someone else to die. Not this time. Not Kagome.

"I will call you when I have Kagome safe."

Before Shippo could try to reason with him, Sesshomaru hung up and made his way to what he knew to be Mizaki's most secure place.

Kagome could barely keep from falling unconscious at the pain in her side. It was far worse than when the centipede youkai tore through her. At least it was quick. Mizaki was taking her sweet time.

But Kagome would not beg. She would not allow this monster the satisfaction of her desperation.

"Did you love him?" Kagome asked as Mizaki was turned toward her work table for a moment.

"Sesshomaru isn't someone you love. He was cold, even to me."

"I love him," Kagome whispered.

"It's a shame you didn't tell him before this. You will die and he will never know." Mizaki turned to her, her face almost sympathetic.

Tears pooled at the corners of Kagome's eyes. "How do you-?"

"I tracked both of you for a long time. I know his schedule very well. I booked the flight you two took to the shrine he holds so dear. I know that's where you kissed."

Kagome licked her lips, "Then you know that he'll be looking for me."

"By the time he figures out it was me, you'll be dead." Mizaki's lips curved into a dark smile.

The door in the corner of the white room swung off its hinges as Kagome let herself slip in darkness. The last thing she remembered was the sound of a fight and the smell of burning flesh. She was consumed by darkness before she could hope it wasn't her own.


	22. Chapter 22

**I hope everyone enjoyed their turkey and Thanksgiving. This is short and sweet due to the holiday. Enjoy!**

 **Labor Thanksgiving Day**

Kagome was nursing a hot cup of tea in her old room. She had forgotten how pink it was after spending so much time in the adult-ish colors of Sesshomaru's apartment. She could hear Souta and Jii-chan going at it downstairs. It was the same argument they'd been having since she got here almost three weeks ago. Unfortunately, Souta was young and full of energy and Jii-chan was stubborn.

Her room provided some solace until Souta came rushing in, slamming the door behind him.

He looked at Kagome sympathetically, "I'm sorry."

Kagome smiled knowingly and patted the space on the bed next to her. Souta, who was now about a head taller than her, sat gingerly on the bed.

"He just doesn't understand," Souta began.

Kagome could sympathize. Jii-chan didn't want Souta 'running off' to America when he could be here helping out with the shrine. They hadn't put a lot of pressure on Kagome since being a female she'd marry and have a home of her own. Jii-chan saw Souta as the perfect understudy which he took to as a kid. But he was a man now, with dreams and goals of his own.

"I need something for myself. You have Shippo and your pack, you had InuYasha back then. I've never really had anything like that for myself. I want…no—I need to find something for myself."

Kagome understood well. It was similar to how she felt when she had no choice but to continue her life in the present. That feeling of not having anything for yourself where you are and wanting to find that thing that grounds you. Kagome thought it was normal for his age. She wasn't sure why Jii-chan was giving him such a hard time.

"I think it's a great idea for you to go to America. Shippo and the twins go regularly but I couldn't tell you what to expect."

Souta sighed, "I just want the opportunity to say I did, whether I fail or not."

"Do you have anything saved up?" Kagome asked.

"Not enough. I've been asking mom if I could have my college savings but she doesn't think it's a good idea."

Kagome sipped her tea and slowly sat further back on the bed. She didn't want to tear her stitches and call her mother up to help her change them. _One family member at a time._

"I agree. If you decide to come back and go to college it'll be good to have and even if you don't, there's still some funds for emergencies she could send over. Save up, and go on your own dime. I'll ask Shippo if he has any place you can stay until you get on your feet."

Souta smiled. He knew his sister would support him, he just wanted to hear it from her.

"Thanks, Kagome. I feel bad though. I'm worried about such small things when you were…"

"Carved liked a turkey? Yea, it's not a day that desnt go by that I don't think about it."

"Are you okay?" He asked.

It was Kagome's turn to sigh, "I think so. I'm healing well."

"No. I mean, like, psychologically. Mental scars are deeper than physical ones."

Kagome laughed, "When'd you become my therapist?"

If Kagome was being honest with herself she thought a lot about that night. Kagome could see Misaki's face as she cut her open looking for the jewel. The pain wasn't the worst part though. Misaki's face contorted in joy as she mutilated her was hard for Kagome. She didn't know what would've become of her if Sesshomaru hadn't showed up. She'd never experienced such a thing in a person or daiyoukai. Youkai, maybe. They were lesser beings compared to daiyoukai but nothing like that.

"Seriously, sis. And I don't think you should be avoiding Sesshomaru either."

Kagome huffed, "Who says I'm ignoring him?"

Souta gave her a knowing look, "We know he isn't allowed on the shrine grounds without consent and we would never do something to break your trust but he sends Shippo every day to check up on you. And you even hide from him. I'm sure Sesshomaru would rather be here himself."

"Well, I need rest and….a break from daiyoukai right now."

"They would never hurt you," Souta assured. Kagome more than knew that but she supposed it was because she had returned to such a dangerous part of her life and let her guard down without taking precaution. It wasn't a matter of _if_ she would reassert herself in her pack's life but when and with what precautions for herself.

"I appreciate your concern, Souta. But I'm fine. I text him every other day when I can."

Souta stood, he was familiar when people were rejecting his input. "Maybe ask if he's okay, or if Shippo is okay. It didn't just happen to you, you know?"

He left Kagome to stew in that thought. She finished her tea and headed downstairs to see if her mother had made any lunch. She slowly made her way down, the bandages shifting slightly with her movement. The stitches were mostly dissolved now but the cut was deep so the superficial ones were hanging around.

"Mama," Kagome called. It was quiet. Souta must've left the house. She wasn't sure where her mother and Jii-chan were. The thought of being alone made her panic slightly but then she caught sight of the well through the kitchen window and thought of InuYasha.

She stepped into her shoes and threw on a light coat to go outside to the Goshinbuku, her best friend's final resting place. She grabbed a broom and incense from the storage house and started sweeping around the tree. She kept her movements short and stiff so not to agitate her wound. She was able to get most of the leaves in a small pile and light a few incense before collapsing onto one of the nearby benches in exhaustion.

"I bet you're laughing at me now. You always thought I needed saving," she chuckled. She could imagine the snarky grin on his face that usually turned soft when he looked at her. She could use him right now to tell her to stop being a coward, to own up to her responsibilities to Sesshomaru and her pack.

She talked to InuYasha at his grave for some time. Telling him about everything that's happened since she'd been there. About her and Sesshomaru, meeting Sesshomaru's mother, his daughters, the accident. She talked until her fingers were numb and her stomach was on the verge of mutiny. She had hear her mother and Jii-chan go into the house about twenty minutes ago.

She decided she would steal some lunch and go upstairs an answer Nakamura's emails, and start on some papers for school. Work and life could only be held off for so long.


	23. Chapter 23

**Might be a couple weeks til I update. Birthday, Vacation and Holidays make for a lazy writer. *sips hot chocolate* Happy Holidays!**

 **Letter Writing Day**

Kagome hadn't expected the letter she had received from Sesshomaru to be so intimate. His elegant handwriting made the paper he wrote it on feel young. But Kagome knew by the feel of it that it was something old and handmade. She could see the fibers of the pressed _nanami._ She could probably date it a few hundred years back. He knew her better than she anticipated. When her fingers grazed the grainy texture, she immediately went against her better judgment to not read. But the simple attention to detail in the type of paper he used made her miss him even more.

In the actual letter, there was an expression of feelings Kagome hadn't dealt with yet herself. She could imagine how overwhelming it would be to see him right now. He was everything she had wanted him to be before Halloween. His words were so raw and dripping with a forwardness he had only begun to develop in their relationship. It scared her to death because she knew that once Sesshomaru set his mind to something there was nothing that would stop him. And from the three-page letter, his mind was set on her. All of her, even as he alluded to the newly developing scar over her previous one.

She got the letter from a flushed face Souta who mentioned that he was approached on campus by a girl with long white and blue hair with strict instructions to give it to her. She smiled at the amount of humility it took to ask his niece to deliver it. She was at the _Goshibuku_ reading it out loud for the second time hoping to get some advice from her best friend in some ethereal form.

"I like old things but I'm not old fashioned. Does he expect me to write back?" She asked.

The real question was: _What would I say?_

She had entirely cut them off from her life the same way the well had cut her from them six years ago. There was nagging feeling that made her think she was afraid of something.

There was so many personal things he had confessed in his letter to her. How he really felt for her, the part he wanted her to play in his life, the sacrifices he was willing to make accommodate her. More specifically, he offered to sponsor the Higurashi shrine like he had done for others in the region, he would endure a human marriage ceremony as long as she could endure the daiyoukai mating ceremony he wished to have. But he was sure to mention that it would all be when she was ready and not a moment sooner. He had even written a haiku about a sad inu who compared the dark side of the moon to the hole he felt in his heart.

The familiar voice of her kitsune pulled her from her thoughts on moons, haikus, and said inu pups.

"I knew I would catch you eventually."

And indeed she felt caught. Guilt naturally following through her as Shippo took a seat on the bench next to her.

"A couple of months ago", he began looking directly at the god tree "I had expressed to you one of my greatest fears."

"The anniversary of Rin's passing…"

He shook his head, "Losing you…again."

The guilt feeling turned into an ache in her heart. "Yea…"

"And you turned your back on us anyway. Left us to wonder if you were okay, ignored as many calls as possible. One word replies to text. You were in our lives and then you were a shell. It'd been better if she had killed you. At least we wouldn't be kidding ourselves to think you actually cared about us."

Kagome turned to him, "Shippo, that's not fair. I care…"

"Yea, enough to use us to get your own apartment, your own security detail, even enough to dangle yourself in front of Sesshomaru enough so he falls in love with you."

Kagome stood and looked down at her son. Hurt obvious in his eyes but right now the anger was what rose to the top. His emerald eyes gleamed fiercely. It lacked the boyishness she was used to there.

"What am I supposed to do? Fall into his arms and pretend I'm okay. That this doesn't scare me."

"We can protect you, someone like Misaki will never hurt you again."

"That's not what I mean…." She sighed and pocketed the letter. "Ever since I got stuck here by the well I had to pretend I belonged here. I forced myself back into my friends life, school and even found a passion that I hoped might lead me to your ancestors. I was never prepared for…you or Sesshomaru, or his mother and InuYasha's children."

Kagome sat back down, controlling her own temper. "You guys are the best thing to happen to me but I don't know if I deserve this...this happiness I feel. There was a moment with Misaka that the jewel's natural instinct to protect me finally kicked in but I suppressed it. I thought that maybe if I had endured something that I could convince myself that I deserve you guys."

"That is the stupidest thing you've ever said," he responded bluntly. "I think you're so in your own head about whether we are real or not that you can't find it in yourself to commit to this pack, let alone Sesshomaru. I know you. If you'd just forget about what you think you deserve and focus on what's in front of you, you wouldn't be shutting yourself off from us. The Kagome I knew kicked youkai ass, went home but she always assured us that she'd be back."

"I'm not some love-struck teenager anymore. InuYasha is dead and this is the present." Surely, he understood that humans change in the smallest amount of time and didn't expect her to love with such abandon after everything she's been through now.

"Well, so what. Maybe you exhausted feelings on the wrong brother but Sesshomaru shouldn't suffer for it." Shippo stood and dug his hands into his coat pocket. "If you decide you want to actually be apart of this family then we'll see you for Christmas."

Shippo pulled a plane ticket from his coat and gave it to her. Kagome was sure it felt heavier than it actually was. It wasn't just a ticket, it was a second chance. One she probably didn't deserve but she decided she wouldn't think of it that way. For now.

Instead, she went inside and wrote a simple seventeen syllable response to her pack mate.

 _Fear not somber hound,_

 _Anticipate a full Moon,_

 _Your heart will return._


	24. Chapter 24

**Hey! Over a year later, and I'm back. Expect irregular updates. Thank you everyone your reviews and your patience. *bow*Happy holidays!**

 **Christmas Eve**

Kagome arrived at the Inu Estate the day before Christmas with Souta, her mom, and Jii-chan in tow. The ticket Shippo had given her was for four people so Kagome had to beg Ayumi to take care of Buyo for the next days. Her family would pick him up when they returned. The shrine was a pivotal part in the New Year celebrations, they couldn't miss that so they'd be leaving a few days earlier than Kagome. There was also some begging to Nakamura to let her return to her job after the new year. He had only smiled knowingly and warned her that she'd be fired if she was even a day late.

Unlike Sesshomauru's apartment, the estate was mainly traditional with tatami floors, sliding doors, and paper lanterns. The few modern amenities were exclusive to the apartment Sesshomaru's new assistant had assigned to the Higurashi family, like a modern kitchen appliances and electric heating.

"This is frickin dope," Souta exclaimed as he dropped his bags in favor of the balcony across the family room.

"Sesshomaru-sama has really done nicely for himself" Mrs. Higurashi complimented.

Jii-chan mumbled as the rest of the family followed Souta to watch the first few snowflakes blanket the surrounding forest. The Higurshi family hardly could afford extravagant trips but knew this trip was more in support of Kagome than a holiday. Mrs. Higurashi tutted at the naked pine tree that adorned the far corner of the family room on her way back inside.

"This will not do," she sighed.

The main entrance to the apartment opened and Shippo came through with bags in each hand.

"No worries, Mrs. Higurashi, pack always come prepared." He gave her a wide grin that reached his emerald eyes.

Shippo made his rounds for hugs and hair ruffles for Souta until he reached Kagome. Unsure what to do, Kagome softly wished him a Merry Christmas.

Shippo grabbed her and spun her around. After planting her on her feet, he nuzzled her in a very inu way. "I'm glad you're here," he whispered. Kagome couldn't help but try to match his strength. She was happy to be here too. With all her family but there were a few missing.

Pulling away she asked, "Where is….everyone else?"

"Our fearsome leader will be here later tonight and the girls will be travelling all day today to get here for tomorrow."

"And Sesshomaru's mother?"

At that moment, the sound of clicking heels on wood filled the room. "Hello, Miko and," a sharp nail pulled down a pair of glasses to the tips of her nose, "and other humans. Let's get this Christmas thing started."

Shippo cringed, almost embarrassed. And Kagome let out a little giggle. The Lady of the Western Estates was dressed in a tight Santa inspired dress with her hair tucked in a white rimmed Santa hat.

"Uhh," Shippo started, "Maybe we shouldn't tell her that Christmas is tomorrow."

Kagome could hardly hold back the fit of giggles waiting to burst out of her.

"Shippo, darling, I'm neither old or deaf. And I know that Christmas is tomorrow. Where is the Christmas spirit you humans are so bat crazy over?"

Mrs. Higurashi was the first to come over to her and give her a hug. Kagome and Shippo looked at each other. "It's nice to meet the mother of the man who takes so great care of my Kagome."

Kagome had never seen Sesshomaru's mother without composure or in constant command of a room. The hug had definitely caught her off guard. Mrs. Higurashi held the Lady's hand in her's even after the initial hug.

"My son can be pigheaded but I made sure he understood the meaning of pack," she replied.

Soon Shippo had started putting ornaments up and Mrs. Higurashi started prepping for dinner. Sesshomaru's mother and Jii-chan had found themselves in an intense game of Go, with Souta as an intrigued onlooker. Jii-chan was none the wiser to how adept Sesshomaru's mother was to strategy but she hadn't counted on Jii-chan's experience in the game.

Kagome decided she would start to help Shippo put the ornaments up and maybe sneak in the apology she owed him before Sesshomaru arrived and made things harder.

Shippo was hanging a kitsune ornament when she arrived at the tree.

"Beautiful," Kagome complimented.

"Rin got this for me a few years before she passed. It wasn't originally an ornament, I added the loop when I did glasswork for a little while."

"Jack of all trades".

"Master of none," he grinned at her, "Grab one. Don't just stand there."

Kagome reached into the bag and carefully pulled out an ornament wrapped in paper. Peeling back the paper revealed a more modern cup ramen ornament. Kagome smiled at the thought of Inuyasha living on through his pack despite his passing. Consequently, she ran into a boomerang, a cat, a monk dressed in dark purple robes, and what looked very much like a transformed tetseiga amongst the plain glass ball ornaments.

"This was never Sesshomaru's thing, but I almost always found a new ornament everytime we were here. He'd cook while I put up the decorations and the tree."

Kagome nodded as her fingers traced the creases of an inu ornament. "I'm sorry, Shippo. For the way I treated you. For not being fair to you in all this. I didn't mean…."

Shippo sighed. "I wasn't mad at you. I was mad at myself for thinking you could just up and jump back into it like you were fifteen again. That wasn't fair. I'm sorry."

A mutual understanding passed between adopted mother and son right before a shriek pierced the room. Jii-chan had lost the first game of Go. Souta was revealing in his defeat as a triumphant Lady of the West smiled victoriously. Souta begged for her to teach him how to play and Jii-chan looked mortified.

Kagome and Shippo looked on. It wasn't long before Mrs. Higurashi was calling for them to sit for dinner, which Sesshomaru's mother even joined. The dishes were cleaned and the presents set under the tree once Souta, Shippo, and Jii-chan had gone to their rooms. Kagome and her mother sat on the balcony with glasses of wine looking over the snow covered trees.

There was a peace the city couldn't offer. A peace she hadn't felt in a few weeks. Mrs. Higurashi wrapped her arm around Kagome's waist. "Remind me to make sure we thank Sesshomaru-sama properly for inviting us."

"He won't accept it. Pack politics, alpha duties, blah, blah, blah."

Mrs. Higurashi smiled, "I'm sure he is willing to compromise."

"On the contrary, Mrs. Higurashi. There are some things I am not willing to compromise." The cool baritone entered the space of the balcony to the two women's surprise. Kagome had found the bottom of her glass more interesting as Mrs. Higurashi hugged and thanked the daiyoukai for his hospitality. Mrs. Higurashi had made herself scarce before Kagome could protest.

"You're here."

"Hn. As are you."

Kagome squirmed under his molten gaze as he took a step closer to her. His swift hands pulled from behind his back and presented her with a simple box.

"The moon is full. There would be no day more appropriate than to express my intentions in person to court you, Kagome."

Kagome took care to take the box from him without touching him. She didn't know how she would act if she did. She already yearned to kiss him and they'd only been in the same space for a minute.

She opened the box to find a crescent moon, much like the one that adorned his forehead, but in a dark opal. The moonlight radiated off the blues, pinks and magentas. Kagome beamed, it was beautiful but accepting this meant accepting his challenge to please her as a mate.

She could feel his youki blossom and blanket the space around them. He was pleased that she liked it. She caressed his youki with her reiki. The two danced in a familiar way, greeting each other boisterously.

"Accepting this is one thing but I am sure wearing it enters us into a different ball game?"

"You are astute as ever."

"So is it possible that I can accept this and not wear it as I consider your challenge?"

His eyebrows furrowed like a confused puppy. "I suppose. That is not traditional. But then again, you are anything but traditional."

Sesshomaru's mother had given her some warning to what to expect when he arrived. Especially after hearing what he had written in his letter. Kagome was glad to have spoken to her right after dinner before she left to her own apartment. "This is the symbol of your House. To bare your mark would mean permanence. But you have to please me first." She teased.

Sesshomaru instinctively grabbed her hips and pulled her close. He nuzzled her cheeks against his. She had forgotten how easy it was to fall into step like this with him.

"Yes." The single syllable sound more like a surrender than confirmation.

 _What's with canines and nuzzling?_

Kagome turned her head and her lips brushed against his neck. A strained whimper filled the crisp air. She planted a small kiss at the base of his throat and she swore she could hear a whine. He gripped her tightly and held the sides of her face to angle her to his lips as they crashed into hers.


End file.
